PROFESSOR   JAMKS    D.  DANA 
(From  a  Painting  by  David  Huntington) 


THE    -LIFE    OF 


JAMES    DWIGHT    DANA 

Scientific  Explorer 

Mineralogist,   Geologist,   Zoologist 

Professor  in  Yale  University 


BY 


DANIEL   C.  OILMAN 

PRESIDENT  OF  THE  JOHNS  HOPKINS  UNIVERSITY 


WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS 


NEW   YORK    AND    LONDON 

HARPER    &    BROTHERS    PUBLISHERS 
1899 


Copyright,  1899,  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS. 
All  rights  reserved. 


TO 

HENRIETTA    FRANCES    SILLIMAN 
THE  WIFE  OF  PROFESSOR  DANA 

WHO,  FOR  MORE  THAN  FIFTY  YEARS,  CHEERED 
COUNSELLED,  AND  ENCOURAGED   HER   HUSBAND 


BEGUN  BY  HER  REQUEST  AND 
COMPLETED    WITH    HER    AID 

10  IReepectfullB  IDe&fcateD 

ON  THE  ISLAND  OF  Mr.  DESERT 
IN  THE  SUMMER  OF  1899 


272040 


(ftfce  «jorfc£  of  t&e  HortJ  are  0reat,  ?ou0|)t  out  of  an  tjjem  tftat 
pleasure  tjjerefn.—  Psalm  CXI. 


CONTENTS 

PART  I 
CHAPTER  I 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTION      .        .        .        .        .  *        .        3 

The  Man  to  be  Portrayed — Sources  of  Information — Quotation 
from  Dr.  Jowett — The  Dana  Family  in  America — Their  Probable 
Italian  Origin. 

CHAPTER  II 
SCHOOL  AND  COLLEGE;  PRIOR  TO  1833        ...       13 

Boyhood  in  Utica — Early  School-Days  and  Teachers — Reminis- 
cences of  Dr.  Bagg — Life  in  Yale  College — Distinguished  Class- 
mates— Characteristics  as  an  Undergraduate — Bent  toward  Natural 
Sciences. 

CHAPTER  III 
MEDITERRANEAN  CRUISE,  1833-34        .        .        .        .21 

Teacher  of  Midshipmen  in  the  United  States  Navy — Voyage  to 
the  Mediterranean — Gibraltar  to  Smyrna — First  Impressions  of 
Nautical  Life  —  Port  Mahon  —  Scientific  Studies  —  Ascent  of 
Vesuvius. 

CHAPTER  IV 
PREPARATION  OF  THE  "MINERALOGY,"  1835-38  .       ..      31 

Waiting  for  Opportunities  :  A  Period  of  Solicitude — Assistant  to 
Professor  Silliman — The  Yale  Institute  of  Natural  Science — Prep- 
aration of  the  Treatise  on  Mineralogy — Chemical  Nomenclature — 
Letters  to  Berzelius  — The  Various  Editions  of  the  System  of 
Mineralogy — Models  of  Crystalline  Forms. 

V 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  V 

PAGE 

THE  UNITED  STATES  EXPLORING  EXPEDITION,  1838-42      45 

Its  Projector,  John  N.  Reynolds — Progress  of  the  Plan  and  its 
Final  Adoption — Organization — The  Naval  Officers  and  the 
Scientific  Corps — Dana's  Appointment — Final  Instructions  and 
Departure  from  Hampton  Roads. 

CHAPTER  VI 

ROUTE  OF  THE  EXPLORERS,  1838-42    .         .         .     :^y      66 

Narrative  of  the  Cruise — Madeira  and  Rio  de  Janeiro — Dangerous 
Passage  around  Cape  Horn  :  Extreme  Peril — Valparaiso  and  the 
Cordilleras  —  The  South  Sea  Islands  :  The  Paumotus,  Society 
Islands,  Samoa  —  Australia  —  Discovery  of  the  Antarctic  Con- 
tinent— New  Zealand — The  Feejee  and  the  Sandwich  Islands — 
The  Northwest  Coast  of  America — Shipwrecked  at  the  Mouth  of 
the  Columbia — Crossing  the  Pacific — Manila,  Sooloo,  Singapore 
— Return  Home  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  St.  Helena — 
Arrival  in  New  York. 

CHAPTER  VII 
DANA'S  OWN  LETTERS,  1838-42    .         .        .  92 

Aspects  of  Nature  in  the  Pacific  Ocean — Madeira — The  Perils 
of  Cape  Horn — Glimpses  of  the  Patagonians — Views  of  the  Andes 
— Missions  in  the  Pacific — Impressions  of  Australia — The  Ant- 
arctic Discovery — The  Scientific  Work  of  the  Expedition — The 
Feejee  and  Sandwich  Islands — Discovery  of  Bowditch  Island — 
Loss  of  the  Peacock — Feejeean  Life — Later  Letters  not  Dis- 
covered. 

CHAPTER  VIII 
THE  REPORTS  OF  THE  EXPEDITION  ;  1842  ONWARD    .     140 

Preparation  of  Three  Quarto  Reports  on  the  Geology,  the 
ZoSphytes,  and  the  Crustacea  of  the  Expedition — In  Washington 
and  New  Haven — Difficulties  Respecting  the  Publication  of  the 
Reports — Letters  to  Gray — Characteristics  of  the  Three  Reports. 

CHAPTER  IX 
THE  PROFESSORSHIP  IN  YALE  UNIVERSITY    .         .         .152 

Marriage — Aspects  of  New  Haven  and  of  Yale  College  in  the 
Middle  of  the  Century — The  Faculty  of  that  Period— Overtures 
from  Harvard — Appointment  in  Yale — Inaugural  Lecture — Varied 
Pursuits — Characteristics  as  a  Teacher — Estimates  of  his  Pupils- 
Prolonged  Ill-Health. 

vi 


CONTENTS 
CHAPTER  X 

PAGE 

SCIENCE  AND  RELIGION 179 

Dana's  Religious  Convictions — Relation  of  Science  and  Religion 
— Attempted  Reconciliation  of  Geology  and  Genesis — Reply  to 
Tayler  Lewis — Friendly  Words  of  Approval — Guyot's  Influence — 
Later  Views — Characteristics  of  his  Religious  Life. 

CHAPTER  XI 
EDITORIAL  SERVICES 192 

The  American  Journal  of  Science  and  Arts — Sketch  of  its  History 
— Its  Work  and  Influence  in  the  Advancement  of  Science — Dana's 
Editorial  Labors. 

CHAPTER  XII 

THE  "  MANUAL  OF  GEOLOGY  "    .         .         .        .         .     200 

The  Manual  of  Geology — Dana's  Contributions  to  this  Science — 
Analysis  of  the  Manual — Its  Scientific  Attitude — The  Doctrine  of 
Evolution. 

CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  STUDY  OF  CORALS        .         .     ' -  .  <       ,        .        ...     208 

Prolonged  Studies  of  Zoophytes  and  Coral  Islands — Extracts  from 
the  Volume  on  Corals — Darwin's  Coral  Reefs — Erroneous  Notions 
of  the  Coral  World — Montgomery's  Pelican  Island — Origin  of 
Coral  Sands  and  Reef  Rock — Life  of  Primitive  People — Changes 
of  Level  in  the  Ocean  Bed — One  of  Dana's  Lectures. 

CHAPTER  XIV 

VOLCANOES  :  VISIT  TO  HAWAII,  1887  .        .        .        «     230 

Origin  of  the  Volume  on  Volcanoes — Revisiting  Hawaii — Changes 
since  his  First  Visit  —  Notes  on  the  Way  —  Letters  from  the 
Various  Members  of  the  Party — Dana's  General  Survey. 

CHAPTER  XV 
PROFESSOR  LE  CONTE'S  ESTIMATE  OF  DANA        .         .     248 

Professor  Joseph  Le  Conte's  Estimate  of  Dana  as  a  Geologist 
— Corals,  Cephalization,  and  Volcanism — Development  of  the 
Earth  as  a  Unit — Continental  Ice-Sheet. 

CHAPTER  XVI 
LAST  YEARS          .         .         .         .         .         .         .        .261 

Advancing  Years — The  Close  of  Life — Tributes  to  his  Memory 
— Academic  Honors — The  Copley,  Wollaston,  and  Clarke  Medals, 
and  the  Walker  Prize. 

vii 


CONTENTS 
CHAPTER  XVII 

PAGE 

A  RETROSPECT 280 

Personal   Appearance—  Mode  of  Life —  Usual  Occupations  and 
Recreations — Continuous  Ill-Health — Autobiographic  Memoranda. 

PART  II 

SCIENTIFIC  CORRESPONDENCE        .        .        .  .     291 

Exchange  of  Letters  with  Gray,  Darwin,  Agassiz,  Guyot,  Geikie, 
Judd,  and  others. 

APPENDIX 377 

I.— Dr.  Palmer's  Ode. 
1 1 . — Bibliography . 
III. — The  New  Haven  University. 
IV.— The  Dana  Pedigree. 

INDEX 405 


viii 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PROFESSOR  JAMES   D.  DANA     .      .      .      . Frontispiece 

THE    TRACK    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES    EXPLORING   EXPEDI- 
TION, 1838-42 Facing  p.      72 

JAMES   D.   DANA   (1843),  AGE   30 "             142 

PROFESSOR  DANA'S  HOME ««         !6o 

PROFESSOR  DANA'S  STUDY,  IN  HIS  HOME "        210 

JAMES  D.  DANA  (FEBRUARY,  1895),  IN  HIS  830  YEAR    .    .  "        270 


IX 


PREFACE 

FIVE  phrases  upon  the  title-page  give  a  summary  of 
this  memoir.  Professor  Dana  dwelt  long  upon  the 
high  seas, — on  their  shores  and  islands  and  among  their 
primitive  inhabitants,  so  that  he  might  be  called  an  ocean- 
ographer  or  ocean-explorer ;  his  distinction  as  a  naturalist 
was  gained  in  three  great  fields;  and  his  career,  from 
beginning  to  end,  was  identified  with  Yale  College. 

In  preparing  the  biography,  which  is  personal  rather 
than  scientific,  the  subject  of  it  is  his  own  interpreter,  and 
wherever  his  language  could  be  introduced,  or  that  of  his 
correspondents,  I  have  preferred  to  quote  rather  than  to 
condense  or  rewrite  what  they  have  said.  At  the  same 
time,  I  trust  that  sufficient  explanations  have  been  given 
to  show  the  conditions  under  which  the  writers  spoke. 

The  task  of  a  biographer  fell  to  me  by  the  confidence 
of  Professor  Dana's  family,  who  remembered  that  for  a 
considerable  period  while  living  in  New  Haven,  as  a  pupil, 
neighbor,  and  friend,  I  knew  him  intimately.  To  Mrs. 
Dana  the  reader  is  indebted  for  the  care  with  which  she 
has  saved  and  brought  together  the  memorials  of  her 
husband's  life  and  correspondence,  and  for  the  readiness 
with  which  she  has  consented  to  their  publication.  To 
Professor  Edward  S.  Dana,  his  father's  colleague  in  the 
University  and  in  editing  the  American  Journal  of  Science, 
special  acknowledgments  are  also  due.  Free  use  has 
been  made  of  the  admirable  and  appreciative  sketch  of 
his  father's  career  which  appeared  in  1894.  For  the  esti- 
mate of  Professor  Dana's  work  as  a  man  of  science,  I  have 


XI 


PREFACE 

drawn  upon  the  pages  of  Professor  Joseph  Le  Conte,  of 
the  University  of  California,  and  of  Professor  Henry  S. 
Williams,  now  Silliman  Professor  of  Natural  History  in 
Yale  University,  whose  memorial  discourses  glow  with 
friendship.  The  memorial  discourse  of  Professor  Dwight 
has  also  been  suggestive.  Professor  George  P.  Fisher  has 
been  kind  enough  to  read  the  chapter  on  the  Relation  of 
Science  and  Religion,  and  to  give  me  some  suggestions. 

To  all  who  have  favored  me  with  correspondence,  I 
return  my  acknowledgments;  to  the  librarians  of  Yale 
University,  the  Lenox  Library,  and  of  the  Peabody  In- 
stitute in  Baltimore,  and  especially  to  the  widows  of 
Professors  Agassiz,  Gray,  and  Guyot.  In  England,  like 
favors  were  shown  by  Professor  Darwin,  Sir  Archibald 
Geikie,  and  Professor  Judd.  To  various  officers  of  the 
United  States  Navy,  especially  Admiral  Crowninshield 
and  Captain  Craig  of  the  Hydrographic  Office,  I  am  also 
indebted  for  information  with  respect  to  the  naval  ex- 
pedition which  had  a  life-long  influence  upon  the  studies 

of  Professor  Dana. 

D.  C.  GILMAN. 


xn 


LIFE    OF 
JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 


PART    I 


LIFE  OF 
JAMES  DWIGHT  DANA 


CHAPTER  I 

INTRODUCTION 

The  Man  to  be  Portrayed — Sources  of  Information — Quotation  from  Dr. 
Jowett— The  Dana  Family  in  America — Their  Probable  Italian  Origin. 


THE  life  of  Professor  James  D wight  Dana  is  the  life  of 
a  distinguished  naturalist,  successively  an  explorer, 
an  investigator,  a  writer,  an  editor,  and  a  teacher.  His 
versatility  is  as  noteworthy  as  his  longevity.  Gifted  with 
uncommon  powers  of  observation,  memory,  comparison, 
and  reasoning,  he  devoted  them  to  the  sciences  of  min- 
eralogy, geology,  and  zoology.  He  had  the  advantage 
of  a  favorable  environment  in  his  youth, — at  home,  at 
school,  and  at  college.  Rare  opportunities  were  subse- 
quently enjoyed  for  seeing  the  most  interesting  parts  of 
the  globe, — a  visit  to  the  Mediterranean  Sea;  a  voyage 
round  the  world,  with  prolonged  stay  among  the  South 
Sea  Islands ;  a  summer  in  Switzerland  ;  and  a  journey,  late 
in  life,  across  the  North  American  continent,  and  beyond 
it  to  the  Hawaiian  Islands.  Long  periods  of  quiet  study 
and  reflection  intervened.  Close  relations  with  the  most 
Distinguished  investigators  in  this  country  and  abroad 

3 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

(principally  by  correspondence),  and  the  prompt  reception 
of  their  latest  publications  and  of  their  communications 
to  the  journal  of  which  he  was  an  editor,  gave  him  early 
information  of  the  progress  of  science  and  quickened  in 
him  the  spirit  of  research.  The  duties  of  an  instructor, 
never  burdensome,  kept  him  in  touch  with  youth.  Dur- 
ing the  latter  half  of  his  life  he  suffered  from  continuous 
ill-health,  but  by  calmness  of  mind  and  economy  of 
energy,  by  extraordinary  concentration  while  he  was  at 
work,  and  by  habits  of  complete  repose  at  stated  inter- 
vals, he  accomplished  far  more  than  ordinary  men  accom- 
plish who  have  no  sense  of  mental  weariness  and  no 
bodily  ailments.  With  self-imposed  restrictions,  sup- 
ported by  the  cheerfulness  and  serenity  of  his  wife  and 
children,  he  continued  to  work  until  the  very  last  hours 
of  a  life  which  extended  two  years  beyond  fourscore. 
Death  came  to  him  with  a  gentle  summons  after  he  had 
been  crowned  with  abundant  honors,  and  after  his  contri- 
butions to  science  had  given  him  the  foremost  rank  among 
his  scientific  countrymen  and  an  honorable  place  among 
illustrious  naturalists  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

In  the  main,  the  life  to  be  here  portrayed  is  one  of 
tranquillity.  Its  chief  interest  consists  in  the  unfolding 
of  a  mind  of  rare  abilities,  and  in  the  progress  of  his 
scientific  work.  Yet  during  Mr.  Dana's  long  career  there 
were  incidents  more  or  less  exciting,  such  as  the  perils  of 
the  sea,  including  shipwreck ;  the  observation  of  life  among 
cannibals;  the  ascent  of  lofty  mountains;  the  pleasures 
of  discovery  in  unknown  regions ;  the  interchange  of  ideas 
with  the  leaders  of  contemporary  thought;  the  contro- 
versies of  science  and  religion  and  other  earnest  discus- 
sions incident  to  the  advancement  of  knowledge.  The 
reorganization  of  a  university,  the  building  up  of  a  school 
of  science,  the  establishment  of  a  museum  of  natural  his- 
tory, the  conduct  of  the  American  Journal  of  Science,  the 
maintenance  of  correspondence  with  investigators  from 

4 


OUTLINES   OF   THE   BIOGRAPHY 

Berzelius  to  Darwin,  and  the  inspiration  of  successive 
generations  of  young  students  are  among  the  services  of 
his  life.  Five  great  works,  several  smaller  volumes,  and 
numerous  minor  publications  are  the  enduring  illustrations 
of  his  ability. 

Problems  of  world-wide  interest  engaged  his  attention. 
Opportunities,  such  as  will  never  come  again,  were  opened 
to  him  in  the  exploration  of  the  Pacific  Ocean.  More- 
over, he  lived  in  a  period  when  scientific  inquiry  was 
more  varied,  comprehensive,  and  exact  than  it  ever  was 
before  in  the  progress  of  mankind ;  when  new  fields  in- 
vited students;  when  new  instruments  of  research  were 
at  command,  and  large  outlays  for  the  advancement  of 
science  were  made  by  institutions  and  governments.  The 
great  principle  of  evolution  was  announced  and  developed 
during  this  period,  and  Dana's  correspondence  on  this  and 
kindred  subjects,  with  Darwin,  Gray,  Agassiz,  and  Guyot, 
and  his  successive  papers,  bearing  more  or  less  upon  this 
subject,  are  of  significance  in  the  history  of  the  acceptance 
of  that  doctrine. 

The  career  of  Mr.  Dana  is  naturally  divided  into  two 
portions, — preparation  and  fulfilment ;  but  it  is  not  pos- 
sible to  make  a  sharp  division  between  the  two.  The 
same  character  is  apparent  in  both.  In  youth  he  was 
a  productive  investigator,  and,  with  advancing  years, 
he  lost  none  of  the  spirit  of  research.  For  example,  the 
first  edition  of  his  Mineralogy  appeared  in  1837  (when 
he  was  but  twenty-four  years  old) ;  and  not  long  before 
his  death  in  1895,  the  last  revision  of  his  Manual  of  Geol- 
ogy passed  under  his  eye.  Here  are  nearly  sixty  years  of 
scientific  productivity.  For  a  long  period  in  his  early 
manhood  it  was  quite  uncertain  where  his  residence  would 
be  fixed  and  upon  what  he  could  rely  for  the  maintenance 
of  a  family.  He  had  been  preparing  himself  to  be  a 
naturalist ;  but  where  in  the  middle  of  this  century  was  a 
naturalist  to  obtain  a  remunerative  position  ?  To  what 

5 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

station  could  he  be  called  ?  His  father  suggested  a  busi- 
ness arrangement  by  which  the  young  man  might  secure 
an  income,  and  with  it  leisure  for  the  pursuit  of  science. 
His  name  was  proposed  for  a  professorship  in  more  than 
one  college.  All  such  anxious  questions  were  settled  by 
an  appointment  in  New  Haven.  In  1850,  his  name  ap- 
pears for  the  first  time  on  the  catalogue  of  Yale  College, 
as  "  Silliman  Professor  of  Natural  History."  He  had 
already  been  married,  and  in  anticipation  of  his  college 
life  he  had  built  the  dwelling-house  on  Hillhouse  Avenue 
which  was  ever  afterwards  his  home.  Henceforward  a 
part  of  his  energy  was  absorbed  by  the  conduct  of  the 
Journal  of  Science ;  college  administration  and  instruc- 
tion likewise  occupied  his  attention ;  but  still  the  pen,  his 
faithful  and  untiring  servant,  was  rarely  at  rest.  Three 
of  his  great  works,  on  the  Geology,  the  Zoophytes,  and 
the  Crustacea  of  the  United  States  Exploring  Expedition, 
successively  appeared.  The  Mineralogy  was  revised  and 
reissued.  His  classes  in  geology  showed  him  the  need  of 
a  suitable  manual,  and  in  1861-62  he  prepared  for  such 
students  a  text-book  which  was  over  and  over  again  en- 
larged and  revised.  A  smaller  volume  on  the  same  sub- 
ject was  prepared  a  little  later,  and  afterwards,  for  general 
readers  and  for  beginners,  the  Geological  Story  Briefly 
Told.  At  a  later  date,  he  wrote  the  volumes  on  Corals 
and  Coral  Islands  and  on  Volcanoes. 

He  became  recognized  everywhere  as  an  authority  in 
those  departments  of  knowledge  to  which  his  mind  was 
directed  and  as  a  good  adviser  where  he  would  not  claim 
to  be  expert.  The  older  men  deferred  to  his  opinions, 
and  the  younger  men  came  to  him,  for  suggestion,  in- 
struction, and  counsel,  as  they  would  approach  a  father. 
So  long  as  his  strength  continued,  he  was  never  afraid  of 
interruptions,  even  in  his  busiest  days,  but  was  accessible 
to  every  one  who  had  claims  to  his  consideration.  During 
the  many  years  when  he  felt  obliged  to  excuse  himself 

6 


SOURCES   OF   INFORMATION 

from  ordinary  social  duties,  his  colleagues  and  pupils  were 
sure  of  a  welcome,  until  departing  strength  compelled 
him  to  economize  the  little  that  remained.  In  seeking  to 
regain  his  health  he  engaged  in  out-of-doors  study  of  the 
geological  region  which  constitutes  the  New  Haven  plain 
and  its  environments.  Sometimes  these  excursions  were 
made  alone, — on  foot  or  on  horseback.  Sometimes  a 
friend  or  pupil  went  with  him.  At  length  it  became  his 
habit,  at  least  once  a  year,  to  take  his  class  with  him  into 
the  field,  and  there  give  them  an  informal  lecture  or  ob- 
ject-lesson. None  of  his  auditors  was  likely  to  forget  his 
bearing  on  these  occasions.  He  was  so  clear,  so  appreci- 
ative of  the  mental  attitude  of  his  scholars,  and  so  ap- 
proachable that  every  student  was  charmed  and  inspired. 

Brief  personal  memoranda  respecting  his  life  have  been 
discovered  in  Mr.  Dana's  handwriting,  jotted  down  per- 
haps in  answer  to  the  inquiries  of  some  editor  or  perhaps 
for  the  information  of  his  family ;  but  there  is  nothing 
that  can  be  termed  an  .autobiography.  His  journal  of  the 
Exploring  Expedition  is  not  known  to  be  in  existence. 
Many  of  his  letters  have  been  preserved,  and  among 
them  those  which  were  written  to  the  immediate  mem- 
bers of  his  family  during  his  early  journeys.  They  show 
the  characteristics  of  a  young  traveller,  writing  freely  to 
his  nearest  kin,  with  enthusiasm  and  affection.  In  later 
life,  his  letters  are  largely  taken  up  with  what  may  be 
called  the  business  of  a  scientific  man, — brief,  simple, 
pointed, — an  answer  to  a  question,  or  a  question  for  an 
answer.  They  are  sometimes,  but  rarely,  devoted  to 
scientific  discussion.  As  the  pages  of  the  American 
Journal  were  within  his  control,  these  became  the  place 
of  record  for  many  current  observations  which  would 
otherwise  have  been  committed  to  his  correspondence. 

Among  the  letters  that  have  come  to  light  are  a  few 
addressed  to  Darwin,  while  twenty  of  Darwin's  to  Dana 
are  at  hand.  There  are  many  from  Asa  Gray,  his  life- 

7 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

long  friend,  and  a  few  responses.  Most  of  those  addressed 
to  Guyot  have  been  kept.  In  early  years,  Edward  C. 
Herrick  was  an  intimate  correspondent  who  retained  the 
letters  which  he  received.  Some  of  those  to  Agassiz  are 
preserved,  and  his  free  answers.  There  are  a  few  to  Sir 
Archibald  Geikie  and  to  Professor  Judd.  In  the  library 
of  Yale  University,  a  collection  of  occasional  letters  ad- 
dressed to  Professor  Dana  by  his  correspondents,  espe- 
cially Europeans,  have  been  deposited;  but  in  rare 
instances  only  the  letters  which  he  addressed  to  them 
have  been  recovered. 

In  going  over  these  materials  it  is  apparent  that  Mr. 
Dana  might  have  been  a  mathematician,  an  anatomist, 
an  ethnologist,  or  an  independent  explorer,  as  well  as  the 
sort  of  naturalist  that  he  was,  and  that  he  had  those 
qualities  which  under  other  circumstances  might  possibly 
have  made  him  an  artist,  a  musician,  or  a  poet ;  but,  as 
his  life  unfolded,  he  became  the  accurate  observer  and 
patient  recorder  of  facts,  and  the  careful  reasoner  with 
respect  to  the  laws  or  system  of  nature. 

To  this  man  of  science,  engaged  in  exact  researches,  it 
mattered  little  where  he  began,  or  to  what  his  attention 
was  directed.  The  study  of  a  rock,  of  a  crystal,  of  a 
crustacean,  of  a  zoophyte,  of  a  coral  island,  of  a  volcano, 
or  of  a  continent  led  upward  and  outward  to  the  mys- 
teries of  the  universe,  to  the  origin,  the  order,  and  the 
purpose  of  the  world.  He  was  a  philosopher  as  well  as 
an  observer,  capable  of  sound  generalizations  and  of  keen 
attention  to  minute  details.  If  any  one  in  our  day  can 
be  called  a  cosmographer,  Dana  may  have  that  title. 

No  one  will  fail  to  observe  that  from  beginning  to  end 
the  life  of  Mr.  Dana  is  marked  by  a  sincere  and  unobtru- 
sive religious  faith.  His  intellect  assented  to  the  doc- 
trines and  his  heart  to  the  precepts  of  Christianity.  The 
indications  of  this  belief  are  apparent  at  every  stage  of 
his  career, 

8 


THE   EYE   OF   A   PHILOSOPHER 

Such  a  life  and  such  a  character  this  volume  will  por- 
tray. To  a  great  extent  it  is  based  upon  Dana's  own 
writings, — his  correspondence  and  his  books.  The  esti- 
mate put  upon  his  career  by  those  most  competent  to 
judge  of  it  will  be  fully  stated,  and  afterwards  will  follow 
a  selection  of  the  letters  exchanged  with  men  of  science. 

For  Dana  we  may  claim  an  honorable  rank  in  the  com- 
pany to  which  Linnaeus,  Cuvier,  Darwin,  and  Agassiz 
belonged,  —  men  who  excelled  in  special,  patient,  and 
prolonged  investigation,  yet  who  also  had  the  power,  un- 
trammelled by  the  scrutiny  of  specimens,  to  take  broad 
views  of  nature  and  her  laws,  and  who  thus  became  to 
their  contemporaries  the  philosophical  interpreters  of  that 
small  portion  of  the  cosmos  which  comes  within  the 
cognizance  of  man. 

In  the  life  of  Benjamin  Jowett,  the  Master  of  Balliol 
College  in  the  University  of  Oxford,  an  extract  is  given 
from  one  of  his  sermons  which  seems  to  express  the  senti- 
ments of  Professor  Dana  so  concisely  that  it  will  be  here 
quoted.  If  it  were  written  as  an  estimate  of  the  Ameri- 
can geologist  it  could  hardly  be  more  appropriate. 

"  Let  us  imagine  some  one,  I  will  not  say  a  little  lower 
than  the  angels,  but  a  natural  philosopher,  who  is  capable 
of  seeing  creation,  not  with  our  imperfect  and  hazy  fancies, 
but  with  a  real  scientific  insight  into  the  world  in  which 
we  live.  He  would  behold  the  hand  of  law  everywhere: 
in  the  least  things  as  well  as  in  the  greatest;  in  the  most 
complex  as  well  as  in  the  simplest ;  in  the  life  of  man  as 
well  as  in  the  animals;  extending  to  organic  as  well  as  to 
inorganic  substances;  in  all  the  consequences,  combina- 
tions, adaptations,  motives,  and  intentions  of  nature. 
He  would  recognize  the  same  law  and  order,  one  and 
continuous,  in  all  these  different  spheres  of  knowledge; 
in  all  the  different  realms  of  nature;  through  all  time, 
over  all  space.  He  would  confess,  too,  that  the  actions 
of  men  and  the  workings  of  the  mind  are  inseparable  from 
the  physical  incidents  or  accompaniments  which  prepare 
the  way  for  them  or  co-operate  with  them,  and  that  they 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT    DANA 

are  ordered  and  adjusted  as  a  part  of  a  whole.  Nor  would 
he  deny,  when  he  looked  up  at  the  heavens,  that  this 
earth,  with  its  endless  variety  of  races  and  languages,  and 
infinity  of  human  interests,  each  one  so  individual  and 
particular,  and  each  man  only  to  be  regarded  as  a  pebble 
on  the  seashore,  is  a  point  in  immensity  in  comparison 
with  the  universe;  in  this  universe,  in  the  utmost  limit  to 
which  the  most  powerful  instrument  can  carry  the  eye  of 
man,  there  is  still  the  same  order  reappearing  everywhere, 
the  same  uniformity  of  nature,  the  same  force  which  acts 
upon  the  earth.  This  is  that  law,  one  and  continuous  in 
all  times  and  places,  which  may  be  truly  said  to  be  '  the 
visible  image  of  God,'  and  '  her  voice  the  harmony  of 
the  world.'  ' 

II 

The  origin  of  the  Dana  family  in  America  is  clearly 
traced  to  the  arrival  of  Richard  Dana  in  1640  (or  earlier) 
at  Cambridge,  Massachusetts.  He  is  believed  to  have 
come  from  England,  and  it  is  conjectured  that  his  father 
came  from  France  or  Italy.  ' '  We  are  all  one  man's  sons  " 
is  the  motto  prefixed  to  the  genealogical  memoranda 
compiled  in  1865  by  Rev.  John  Jay  Dana.  "  It  may  be 
considered  as  settled,"  he  writes,  "  that  the  surname 
borne  by  our  common  ancestor,  Richard,  was  a  word  of 
two  syllables,  properly  spelt  Dana  (not  Dane  nor  Denny), 
and  that  no  person  is  found  to  have  borne  that  name  in 
America  or  England  (entitled  to  it  by  descent)  who  is  not 
descended  from  him."  This  Richard  Dana  died  April  2, 
1690,  having  been  for  half  a  century  a  citizen  of  good 
standing  and  a  landholder  in  Cambridge,  Massachusetts 
(in  that  part  now  called  Brighton),  and  at  different  times 
a  surveyor  of  highways,  a  constable,  a  tithing-man,  and 
a  grand-juror.  He  married,  probably  in  1648,  Anne 
Bullard  of  Cambridge,  who  died  July  15,  1711.  Among 
their  descendants  are  many  who  have  won  distinction  in 
science,  literature,  military  service,  the  editorial  chair, 
law  and  politics,  and  in  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel. 

10 


THE   DANA   FAMILY 

Among  the  more  famous  of  those  no  longer  living  may 
be  mentioned  Francis  Dana,  Chief-Justice  of  Massachu- 
setts; his  son,  Richard  Henry  Dana,  poet  and  man  of 
letters,  and  his  son,  Richard  Henry  Dana,  Jr.,  author  of 
Two  Years  before  the  Mast,  an  acknowledged  authority  on 
international  law;  Rev.  Joseph  Dana,  D.D.,  of  Ipswich, 
Massachusetts,  and  his  son,  Rev.  Daniel  Dana,  D.D.,  of 
Newburyport,  Massachusetts;  Rev.  James  Dana,  D.D., 
of  Wallingford,  Connecticut,  and  his  son,  Samuel  Whit- 
tlesey  Dana,  LL.D.,  United  States  Senator  from  Connec- 
ticut; Hon.  John  Winchester  Dana,  Governor  of  Maine; 
James  Freeman  Dana,  M.D.,  Professor  of  Chemistry  in 
Dartmouth  College  and  in  New  York;  Samuel  Luther 
Dana,  M.D.,  of  Waltham,  and  afterward  of  Lowell, 
Massachusetts,  a  practical  chemist ;  and  Charles  A.  Dana, 
of  New  York,  Assistant  Secretary  of  War,  and  still  more 
widely  known  as  editor  of  the  Tribune  and  the  Sun. 

The  pedigree  of  James  Dwight  Dana  is  this:  he  was 
the  son  of  James  Dana,  of  Utica,  New  York  (1780- 1860), 
who  was  the  son  of  George  Dana,  of  Stow  and  Ashburn- 
ham,  Massachusetts  (1744-1787),  the  son  of  Caleb  Dana, 
of  Cambridge,  Massachusetts  (1697-1769),  the  son  of 
Daniel  Dana,  of  Cambridge,  Massachusetts  (1663-1749), 
who  was  the  son  of  the  original  immigrant,  Richard  Dana, 
of  Cambridge  (died  in  1690),  and  Anne  Bullard,  his  wife 
(died  in  1711). 

Various  efforts  have  been  made  to  discover  the  Euro- 
pean ancestry  and  connections  of  the  American  Danas. 
The  Italian  origin  of  the  family  has  been  suggested. 
Thus,  Signer  Quintino  Sella,  Minister  of  Finance  under 
Victor  Emanuel,  wrote  from  Turin  in  1869  to  Professor 
Dana,  saying:  "  It  is  most  probable,  if  not  quite  sure, 
that  Italy  has  the  right  of  claiming  you  as  one  of  her 
offspring."  He  adds  that  the  birthplace  of  the  Dana  or 
Danna  family  is  Vasco,  a  village  near  Mondovi,  where 
there  are  still  many  branches  of  the  Dana  family.  "  It  is 

1 1 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

curious,"  continues  Signer  Sella,  "  that  in  the  Italian 
branches  of  the  Dana  family,  the  taste  for  the  natural 
sciences  is  not  rare.  Casimiro  Dana  (lately  Professor  of 
Literature  in  the  University  of  Turin)  mentions  to  me 
five  Danas,  all  naturalists  or  physicians — medical  men." 
Thus  far  I  have  followed  the  family  genealogy  and  the 
Italian  theory  accepted  by  the  subject  of  this  memoir. 
I  am,  however,  compelled  to  add  that  this  is  not  all  re- 
garded as  the  truth  by  other  members  of  the  family.  One 
of  them  who  has  paid  much  attention  to  the  genealogical 
records,  Miss  Elizabeth  E.  Dana,  has  been  so  kind  as  to 
give  me  for  insertion  here  some  of  the  data  which  she  has 
discovered.  She  writes  that  the  name  Dana  was  found 
in  Manchester,  England,  in  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  where  may  be  found  the  record  of  a  Richard 
Dana's  baptism,  October  3 1,  1617;  but  whether  or  not  this 
is  the  original  settler  at  Cambridge  has  not  been  deter- 
mined so  far  as  I  can  learn.  Qbed  Dana  was  an  Oxford 
B.A.  in  1650.  There  are  Danas  now  living  in  England 
who  are  descendants  of  Rev.  Edmund  Dana  of  Massa- 
chusetts. Three  or  four  Dana  families,  not  of  the  New 
England  stock,  are  now  residents  of  the  United  States, 
one  of  them  of  German  parentage  (possibly  Dahne) ;  one, 
Canadian;  and  one  which  came  from  Londonderry,  Ire- 
land, some  forty  years  ago.  The  origin  of  the  family 
whether  Italian  or  French,  is  still  open  to  investigation. 
Interesting  accounts  of  the  family  have  appeared  in 
Munsey's  Magazine,  for  1896,  and  with  many  noteworthy 
details,  in  the  Brighton  Item,  between  March  18,  and 
April  29,  1899,  by  J.  P.  C.  Winship. 


12 


CHAPTER  II 
SCHOOL  AND   COLLEGE;  PRIOR  TO    1833 

Boyhood  in  Utica — Early  School-Days  and  Teachers — Reminiscences  of 
Dr.  Bagg — Life  in  Yale  College — Distinguished  Classmates — Charac- 
teristics as  an  Undergraduate — Bent  toward  Natural  Sciences. 

UTICA,  in  Oneida  County,  New  York,  not  quite  one 
hundred  miles  to  the  west  of  Albany,  is  one  of  the 
towns  that  owe  their  prosperity  in  part  to  the  rich  soil  of 
the  Mohawk  valley  and  in  part  to  the  Erie  canal.  By 
this  water  highway  Utica  was  brought  into  easy  inter- 
course, after  1825,  with  the  great  lakes  of  the  west  and 
the  harbor  of  New  York,  and  hence  its  growth.  It  is 
well  to  remember  that  the  town  was  established  upon 
the  site  of  Fort  Schuyler,  that  famous  post  which  in  early 
days  protected  the  inhabitants  of  the  upper  Hudson  from 
the  incursions  of  the  Indians.  It  is  now  a  flourishing 
city  of  more  than  55,000  inhabitants,  but  in  1813,  the 
year  of  Professor  Dana's  birth,  it  had  but  1700  inhabitants, 
and  in  1830,  when  he  went  to  college,  somewhat  more 
than  8000. 

To  this  feeble  settlement  on  the  frontier  James  Dana 
removed  from  Massachusetts,  the  home  of  his  forefathers 
for  several  generations,  having  married,  in  1812,  Harriet 
Dwight,  a  daughter  of  Seth  Dwight  of  Williamsburg, 
Massachusetts.  Her  brother,  Rev.  H.  G.  O.  Dwight, 
D.D.,  was  afterwards  distinguished  as  a  Christian  mis- 
sionary in  Constantinople.  Their  first  child,  the  eldest  of 
ten  brothers  and  sisters,  James  Dwight  Dana,  was  born 

13 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

in  Utica,  February  12,  1813.  The  father  died  in  1860, 
at  the  age  of  eighty;  the  mother  lived  till  1870. 

Everything  in  the  home  life  at  Utica  was  wholesome 
and  invigorating.  The  parents  were  alike  characterized 
by  thrift,  integrity,  and  good  sense.  Both  of  them  were 
of  strong  religious  convictions,  based  upon  the  moderate 
Calvinistic  doctrines  of  the  Congregational  Church,  to 
which  they  belonged.  The  mother  is  described  as  a 
sweet  singer,  with  a  low  voice  and  gentle  manner,  from 
whom  her  eldest  son  may  have  inherited  his  musical 
tastes.  She  exercised  complete  control  over  her  large 
family.  James  appears  to  have  been  particularly  intimate 
with  her,  even  after  he  left  home,  and  in  early  and  later 
years  he  constantly  wrote  to  her  in  confidential  and  affec- 
tionate terms.  On  his  father's  uprightness,  sagacity  in 
business  affairs,  and  good  judgment  the  son  placed  com- 
plete reliance.  "  Honesty,  virtue,  and  industry  seem 
almost  to  be  our  natural  inheritance  "  are  the  words  with 
which  in  middle  life  he  expressed  his  estimate  of  his 
parents. 

There  are  not  many  glimpses  of  the  boyhood  of  James 
Dwight  Dana,  but  one  of  his  aunts,  an  early  companion 
and  playmate,  who  still  lives  (1899),  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four,  has  written  that  "  he  was  a  merry  boy,  always 
ready  for  a  game  of  romps,"  of  which,  she  says,  "  with 
George,  John,  and  Harriet,  we  had  a  great  many,  in  barn 
and  in  garden,  and  even  in  the  house." 

"  In  the  evenings,"  she  goes  on  to  say,  "  we  played 
various  quieter  games  in  the  big,  bright  kitchen,  with  its 
wood  fire.  I  remember  James  was  an  adept  at  making 
what  we  called  '  witches,' — not  the  Salem  kind,  but  the 
pith  of  corn-stalks,  with  a  face  of  ink  or  paint,  and  a  lead 
crown  that  made  her  stand  on  her  head  however  often  we 
put  her  upright.  I  presume  it  was  the  philosophical 
character  of  this  toy  that  made  its  attraction  for  James. 
He  began  very  early  studying  the  elements  of  Mother 
Earth  and  collecting  specimens.  I  think  he  had  quite 

14 


BOYHOOD 

a  cabinet  before  he  was  ten  years  old.  I  recall  many 
tramps,  when  we  came  back  laden  with  what  looked  very 
like  '  trash  '  to  most  folks.  But  dear  Sister  Harriet  was 
an  angel  of  patience." 

We  have  also  a  picture  of  the  school  where  this  boy 
was  taught  after  he  reached  the  age  of  fourteen, — the 
Utica  High  School.  Charles  Bartlett  was  its  master,  and 
Fay  Edgerton  the  teacher  of  science.  Its  methods  were 
influenced  in  no  slight  degree  by  those  of  the  Round  Hill 
School  in  Northampton,  where  Joseph  G.  Cogswell  and 
George  Bancroft  were  teachers,  and  still  more  by  those 
of  the  Rensselaer  Polytechnic  Institute  of  Troy,  then 
under  the  direction  of  Amos  Eaton,  an  influential  pro- 
moter of  scientific  teaching  throughout  eastern  and  cen- 
tral New  York.  Many  are  they  who  owe  their  love  of 
science  directly  or  indirectly  to  this  inspiring  teacher. 

A  letter  from  Dr.  M.  M.  Bagg,  of  Utica,  gives  these 
particulars : 

"  About  1826,  Charles  Bartlett,  a  graduate  of  Union 
College,  ambitious  and  enterprising,  though  not  remarka- 
ble as  a  scholar,  and  having  liberal  ideas  of  what  should 
be  the  requirements  of  such  a  school  as  he  proposed  to 
establish,  gave  up  a  day-school  that  he  was  then  con- 
ducting, and  devoted  some  time  to  preparations  for  his 
future  work.  After  visiting  several  schools  of  the  day, 
he  is  believed  to  have  adopted  as  his  model  the  Round 
Hill  School  of  Northampton,  then  in  wide  repute.  The 
Rensselaer  Polytechnic  Institute  of  Troy,  a  pioneer 
school  of  science,  then  flourishing  under  the  direction  of 
Amos  Eaton,  furnished  other  and  important  features  that 
were  adopted.  As  his  teacher  of  the  natural  sciences 
he  selected  Fay  Edgerton  of  Bennington,  Vermont,  a 
recent  graduate  of  the  Institute,  and  with  him  and  other 
teachers  the  Utica  High  School  (as  Mr.  Bartlett  called 
it)  was  begun  in  the  year  1827.  Mr.  Edgerton  gave  lec- 
tures in  a  moderately  furnished  laboratory,  successively 
in  chemistry,  botany,  mineralogy,  and  geology,  to  classes 
of  the  older  students,  who  in  turn  were  required,  after  a 

15 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

study  of  the  topic,  to  give  back  the  lecture  with  its  ex- 
periments to  the  teacher  and  their  fellows  of  the  class. 
He  was  an  enthusiast  in  his  own  line  of  study  and  in- 
struction. Besides  his  lectures  in  the  lecture-room,  he 
scoured  the  country  round,  either  with  or  without  his 
pupils,  showed  them  where  to  go  in  pursuit  of  whatever 
was  instructive  or  curious,  assisted  them  in  the  naming 
and  care  of  their  specimens,  and  inspired  them  with  new 
zeal  for  natural  science.  During  the  long  summer  vaca- 
tions he  made  lengthy  excursions  with  half  a  dozen  or 
more  of  his  class  to  distant  parts  of  the  State  or  the 
neighboring  ones,  visiting  localities  that  abounded  in 
particular  rocks  or  minerals,  and  bringing  home  stores  for 
their  own  or  the  school  collection.  These  excursions 
were  made  almost  wholly  on  foot,  a  single  horse  and 
wagon  accompanying  the  party  to  carry  their  scanty  ward- 
robe and  relieve  the  oft-burdened  mineral  satchel  worn 
by  each  of  them,  until  such  time  as  they  reached  a  suitable 
place  for  shipment. 

"  After  some  three  years  of  service,  this  intelligent, 
amiable,  earnest  teacher  withdrew  to  become  Professor 
of  Chemistry  and  Botany  in  the  Medical  School  of  Wood- 
stock, Vermont.  He  died  in  1838. 

"  He  was  succeeded  (in  1829)  by  Dr.  Asa  Gray,  sub- 
sequently the  well-known  Professor  of  Botany  at  Harvard. 
A  native  of  the  neighboring  town  of  Sauquoit,  Dr.  Gray 
had  but  recently  finished  his  course  at  the  Medical  School 
at  Fairfield,  where  he  had  before  been  a  pupil  of  the 
Academy.  He  was  quite  as  well  informed  as  Mr.  Edger- 
ton  had  been,  as  eager  and  as  sympathetic  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  science,  and  in  all  respects  as  capable  and  as 
beloved  a  teacher.  Botany  was  even  then  his  chief  de- 
light, and  his  application  to  it  was  most  diligent.  It  is 
told  of  him  in  his  biography  that  early  in  1828  he  pro- 
cured a  copy  of  Eaton's  Text-book  of  Botany  and  be- 
gan by  himself  to  analyze  and  discover  the  names  of 
plants  he  gathered.  Afterwards  when  at  Fairfield  he 
received  some  assistance  from  Prof.  James  Hadley,  father 
of  the  eminent  Greek  scholar  of  Yale.  His  flashing  eye, 
and  his  cry  of  exultation  as  he  bounded  forward  to  seize 
a  new  plant  which  he  spied  at  a  distance,  while  botanizing 
with  his  class,  no  member  of  that  class  who  is  alive  can 
forget,  any  more  than  they  can  his  courteous  and  sprightly 

16 


COLLEGE    DAYS 

manner,  his  engaging  mien,  and  his  devotion  to  their 
improvement.  He  introduced  to  the  class  the  natural 
method  of  studying  botany  in  lieu  of  the  Linnaean  system 
that  had  before  been  in  use,  and  with  his  microscope  he 
laid  open  to  the  learners  the  as  yet  unseen  mysteries  of 
the  vegetable  creation." 

Dr.  Bagg  has  an  impression  that  Dana  was  taught  by 
Asa  Gray.  No  trace  of  this  relation  has  appeared  in  the 
correspondence  of  these  two  naturalists  and  friends,  nor 
is  it  among  the  traditions  of  Mrs.  Dana  or  of  Mrs.  Gray, 
although  it  is  possible  that  Dana  may  have  been  in  the 
school  after  Gray  became  one  of  its  teachers. 

Among  Dana's  schoolmates  was  Dr.  S.  Wells  Williams, 
who  continued  to  be  his  intimate  friend  through  life.  The 
residence  of  Dr.  Williams  in  China,  where  he  won  distinc- 
tion as  a  lexicographer  and  historian,  and  where  he  ren- 
dered important  services  to  the  legations  of  the  United 
States  as  well  as  to  the  work  of  foreign  missionaries, 
separated  the  two  friends ;  but  they  exchanged  letters  of 
an  intimate  character,  and  late  in  their  lives  were  brought 
together  again  as  neighbors  and  colleagues  in  New  Haven. 
Dr.  Williams  became  Professor  of  the  Chinese  Language 
in  Yale  University  in  1874,  and  died  there  in  1884. 

From  the  Utica  High  School,  Dana  went  to  Yale  Col- 
lege in  1830,  attracted,  as  he  often  said,  by  the  reputation 
of  Professor  Benjamin  Silliman,  who  was  then  at  the 
height  of  his  reputation  as  a  teacher,  lecturer,  and  editor. 
He  began  his  new  life  at  the  beginning  of  the  sophomore 
year,  and  graduated  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  1833.  The  col- 
lege was  then  a  very  small  institution,  where  everything 
was  managed  upon  a  simple  and  economical  plan ;  but  it 
represented  the  best  traditions  of  New  England,  and  gave 
to  its  pupils  a  thorough  training  in  Latin  and  Greek,  and 
in  mathematics,  with  an  introduction  to  natural  phi- 
losophy and  astronomy,  as  well  as  to  chemistry,  mineral- 
ogy, and  geology.  Day,  Silliman,  and  Kingsley  were 

17 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

the  lights  of  the  institution.  The  library  was  small,  and 
could  not  have  been  very  stimulating  to  a  student  of 
science.  There  was,  however,  an  excellent  cabinet  of 
minerals,  collected  by  Colonel  George  Gibbs,  chiefly  by 
purchase  during  his  residence  in  Europe.  This  had  been 
brought  to  New  Haven  twenty  years  before,  at  the  in- 
stance of  Silliman,  and  was  bought  by  the  college,  through 
his  instrumentality,  in  the  year  1825.  It  requires  no 
stretch  of  the  imagination  to  believe  that  this  noteworthy 
collection  exercised  a  strong  influence  upon  Dana's  future 
studies.  •  It  afterwards  came  under  his  supervision,  was 
carefully  rearranged  by  him,  and  now  constitutes  the 
nucleus  of  the  mineralogical  department  of  the  Peabody 
Museum  of  Natural  History. 

Several  of  Dana's  classmates  acquired  distinction,  and 
among  them  Rev.  George  E.  Day,  D.D.,  afterwards  a 
Professor  of  Hebrew  in  the  Theological  Seminary  of  Yale 
College,  who  occupied  the  same  rooms  as  Dana  during 
their  undergraduate  course.  General  William  H.  Russell 
spent  his  life  in  New  Haven  as  the  head  of  an  important 
Military  School,  and  many  of  the  boys  whom  he  trained 
took  an  honorable  part  in  the  defense  of  the  Union 
in  the  recent  civil  war.  Another  classmate,  Rev.  Dr. 
Samuel  W.  S.  Dutton,  was  for  many  years  the  pastor  of 
the  North  (Congregational)  Church  in  New  Haven.  Be- 
sides these  residents  of  New  Haven,  his  class  included 
Hon.  Alphonso  Taft,  a  distinguished  lawyer  who  became 
Governor  of  Ohio  and  Secretary  of  War;  Dr.  E.  K. 
Hunt,  a  well-known  physician  in  Hartford  (after  whom 
the  Hunt  Memorial  building  was  named);  Josiah  Clark, 
a  teacher  of  unusual  ability  in  Williston  Seminary ;  Prof. 
E.  A.  Johnson,  the  Latinist  of  the  New  York  University ; 
and  Dr.  Silas  Holmes,  who  was  one  of  the  medical  staff 
of  the  Wilkes  Expedition. 

Nothing  has  come  to  light  which  shows  that  any  one 
of  the  faculty  discovered  in  their  undergraduate  pupil  the 

18 


UNDERGRADUATE   STUDIES 

rare  qualities  that  Dana  possessed.  He  appears  to  have 
been  modest,  diligent,  faithful,  and  upright,  giving  the 
required  attention  to  all  the  studies  which  made  up  the 
fixed  curriculum,  without  attracting  much  notice. 

With  respect  to  his  father's  course  as  an  undergraduate, 
we  have  these  words  of  the  younger  Professor  Dana : 

"  He  was  a  faithful  student,  but  those  were  days  of  a 
rigid  course  of  study,  chiefly  in  the  classics,  affording 
little  to  appeal  to  a  mind  with  a  strong  bent  for  the 
methods  and  facts  of  science.  It  is  not  surprising,  there- 
fore, that  though  obtaining  a  good  place  on  the  honor 
list  he  did  not  make  a  brilliant  record  for  general  scholar- 
ship. He  was,  moreover,  at  a  disadvantage  because  of 
insufficient  training  in  the  ancient  languages,  felt  espe- 
cially by  one  entering  after  the  close  of  the  first  year  of 
the  course.  It  should  be  stated,  however,  that  during 
his  undergraduate  life  he  attained  distinction  in  mathe- 
matics, a  subject  for  which  he  always  had  decided  apti- 
tude. During  this  time  he  made  much  progress  in  science, 
especially  in  his  favorite  study  of  mineralogy.  In  botany 
also  he  took  great  interest ;  during  his  college  life  he  made 
a  large  collection  of  the  plants  of  the  New  Haven  region, 
and  a  printed  list  of  the  local  flora,  carefully  checked  and 
annotated  by  him,  is  still  preserved." 

In  his  senior  year  he  offered  himself  for  the  position  of 
an  instructor  of  midshipmen  in  the  United  States  Navy. 
Until  the  Naval  Academy  was  opened  in  Annapolis,  it 
was  the  custom  of  the  government  to  place  young  aspir- 
ants for  a  naval  career  under  the  charge  of  schoolmasters, 
who  went  with  them  to  sea.  In  order  to  promote  the 
appointment  which  Dana  sought,  President  Day,  and 
others  of  the  faculty,  gave  him  their  personal  endorse- 
ment. Thus,  his  tutor,  Henry  Durant,  who  afterward 
became  President  of  the  University  of  California,  certi- 
fied that  Dana  had  been  uniformly  punctual  and  exact  in 
the  discharge  of  his  several  duties  as  a  member  of  the 
college,  and  that  he  excelled  in  mathematical  studies, 

19 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

and  in  some  of  the  natural  sciences,  while  in  all  depart- 
ments he  had  made  good  attainments.  Professor  Silli- 
man  added  that  the  candidate  evinced  uncommon  interest 
in  physical  science,  and  that  his  attainments  in  chemistry, 
geology,  and  mineralogy  were  of  the  most  respectable 
character  and  such  as  indicate  ingenuity,  industry,  and 
perseverance.  Dana  gladly  accepted  the  appointment 
of  schoolmaster  in  the  navy,  which  he  had  solicited,  and 
entered  the  service  of  the  government ;  but  before  em- 
barking he  returned  to  the  college,  passed  his  final 
examinations,  and  was  thus  qualified  to  proceed  to  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  which  was  conferred  upon 
him,  with  his  class,  in  1833. 


20 


CHAPTER   III 

MEDITERRANEAN   CRUISE,   1833-1834 

Teacher  of  Midshipmen  in  the  United  States  Navy — Voyage  to  the  Medi- 
terranean— Gibraltar  to  Smyrna — First  Impressions  of  Nautical  Life — 
Port  Mahon — Scientific  Studies — Ascent  of  Vesuvius. 

THE  future  naturalist,  whose  pedigree  has  been  given 
and  whose  training  at  home,  at  school,  and  at  college 
has  been  traced  in  outline,  began  to  look  forward,  when 
he  entered  upon  the  studies  of  his  senior  year  at  Yale,  to 
the  problems  of  the  future.  There  were  then  in  this 
country  no  opportunities  for  graduate  studies,  as  they  are 
now  called,  excepting  those  which  led  to  the  professions 
of  law,  medicine,  and  theology.  The  pathway  to  natural 
science  often  went  through  the  portals  of  medicine,  not 
only  on  this  side  of  the  ocean,  but  abroad.  It  does  not 
appear  that  Dana,  after  the  attainment  of  the  Yale  bacca- 
laureate, ever  thought  of  visiting  Great  Britain  in  the 
pursuit  of  science,  like  Silliman  and  many -a  physician  in 
the  early  part  of  the  century,  or  of  following  Bancroft, 
Woolsey,  and  other  classical  scholars  to  one  of  the  uni- 
versities of  Germany.  There  is  an  indication  that  he 
looked  with  longing  to  the  science  of  Paris,  to  which  the 
name  of  Cuvier  had  given  world-wide  renown.  But  in- 
stead he  became,  as  we  have  seen,  a  teacher  of  midship- 
men upon  a  vessel  destined  to  the  Mediterranean.  For 
him,  this  was  an  ideal  position.  It  afforded  intellectual 
occupation,  salary,  leisure,  and  abundance  of  opportuni- 
ties. Neither  lecture-room  nor  laboratory  would  have 

21 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT    DANA 

quickened  his  mind  and  developed  his  powers  of  observa- 
tion as  the  cruise  upon  which  he  entered.  Under  the 
simultaneous  restrictions  and  allurements  of  nautical  life, 
independence  of  thought  was  strengthened  in  a  character 
which  by  antecedent  influence  was  prone  to  accept 
authority.  It  was  not,  to  any  considerable  degree,  the 
wonderful  history  of  the  lands  adjacent  to  the  Mediter- 
ranean, nor  their  ruined  cities  and  shrines,  nor  the  man- 
ners and  customs  of  unfamiliar  people  which  excited  the 
curiosity  of  this  young  traveller,  fresh  from  the  study  of 
Latin  and  Greek,  but  the  phenomena  of  nature. 

Dana  began  to  seek  for  an  appointment  in  the  navy  as 
early  as  August,  1832.  In  a  letter  dated  February  14, 
1833,  he  addresses  Captain  Ballard,  U.  S.  N.,  in  these 
words:  "  Wishing  to  obtain  the  office  of  schoolmaster  on 
board  one  of  the  national  vessels  destined  to  the  Medi- 
terranean, I  was  advised  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  to 
make  application  to  you.  It  is  a  station  which  I  seek 
with  much  earnestness,  and  no  labor  will  be  spared  on  my 
part  to  render  myself  qualified  for  it."  The  appointment 
came  in  the  following  April,  and  the  prospective  "  school- 
master "  was  directed  to  report  by  the  I5th  of  June  to  the 
commanding  naval  officer  at  Norfolk,  for  service  on  board 
the  U.  S.  ship  of  the  line  Delaware,  Captain  Henry  E. 
Ballard. 

Here  is  a  letter  which  throws  a  sidelight  upon  the  long 
period  of  uncertainty  with  respect  to  the  appointment, 
and  it  also  indicates  the  interest  that  Dana  already  took 
in  the  study  of  entomology.  The  writer,  Edward  C. 
Herrick,  was  a  man  of  uncommon  parts,  the  circumstances 
of  whose  life  prevented  him  from  attaining  the  distinc- 
tion to  which  his  tastes,  his  talents,  and  his  assiduity  en- 
titled him.  He  received  from  the  college  an  honorary 
degree  of  Master  of  Arts  in  1838.  He  was  always  ab- 
sorbed in  the  duties  of  a  business  man  and  in  serving 
others,  but  intervals  of  leisure  were  largely  devoted  to 

22 


FRIENDSHIP   OF   E.  C.  HERRICK 

two  very  different  fields  :  the  study  of  insects  and  the 
observation  of  meteors, — to  which  may  be  added  close 
attention  to  the  annals  of  Yale.  He  held  successively 
the  offices  of  librarian  and  of  treasurer  in  the  college ; 
he  was  editor  of  the  triennial  catalogue  and  of  the  obituary 
record,  and  there  were  few,  if  any,  men  of  mark  at  New 
Haven,  in  literature  or  science,  during  the  middle  years 
of  this  century,  who  were  not  indebted  to  him  for  sug- 
gestions, corrections,  stimulus,  or  assistance.  As  long  as 
he  lived,  his  friendship  for  Dana  continued,  and  fora  con- 
siderable period  before  his  death  in  1862,  almost  every 
page  of  the  Journal  of  Science  passed  under  the  typo- 
graphical scrutiny  of  his  marvellous,  microscopic  eye. 
His  name,  which  should  never  disappear  from  the  memo- 
ries of  Yalensians,  will  often  be  mentioned  in  these  pages. 

E.    C.    HERRICK  TO   DANA 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  May  25,  1833. 

"My  DEAR  FELLOW: 

I  had  the  pleasure  of  forwarding  to  you,  by  the  mail 
which  left  this  place  yesterday  noon,  the  long-expected 
letter  from  Captain  Ballard  [dated  April  i,  1833],  of  which 
you  have  a  copy  above.  I  had  wellnigh  despaired  of 
the  existence  of  the  document,  and  you  no  doubt  have 
felt  the  force  of  Solomon's  observation,  that  '  hope 
deferred  maketh  the  heart  sick,'  but  all  such  feelings 
may  now  give  place  to  those  of  a  more  cheerful  kind. 
I  heartily  wish  you  all  possible  enjoyment  in  your  new 
vocation. 

'  You  will  doubtless  remark  that  there  seems  to  be 
something  rather  strange  about  the  chronology  of  Captain 
Ballard's  letter.  I  believe  it  is  not  usual,  especially 
among  men  of  business,  to  retain  a  letter  a  month  after 
writing,  as  this  appears  to  have  been.  But,  whatever 
may  be  the  rationale  of  the  phenomenon,  it  will  hardly 
be  advisable  to  take  much  trouble  to  hunt  it  up,  as  the 
fact,  though  somewhat  singular,  can  do  no  harm  here- 
after. You  may  consider  yourself  fortunate  in  getting  it 

23 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

even  at  this  late  hour,  seeing  that  the  mails  are  so  much 
out  of  order. 

"  As  to  entomology,  my  hands  are  quite  running  over. 
I  have  found,  in  one  place  and  another,  as  many  as  half 
a  dozen  Cecidomyiczoides,  which  have  given  me  consider- 
able trouble.  Most  of  the  cells  in  my  possession  (chiefly 
of  your  collecting)  are  being  delivered  of  their  inhabitants. 
All  that  have  yet  appeared  from  these  sources  are  new, 
and  some  of  them  very  curious.  The  Solidago  has  pro- 
duced twenty  or  thirty  individuals.  Of  the  Ceraph  d. 
(alias  No.  i),  fifteen  or  twenty  have  appeared.  I  have 
succeeded  in  eliminating  some  of  their  eating  apparatus 
without  any  very  peculiar  difficulty.  The  mandibles  are 
quadridentate,  the  maxillary  palpi  four-articulate,  and 
the  labial  palpi  binarticulate." 

A  memorandum  in  Dana's  handwriting  gives  the  fol- 
lowing summary  of  the  voyage : 

"  1833.  August  I4th,  leave  New  York  in  the  ship  of 
the  line  Delaware,  as  an  instructor  of  mathematics,  on  a 
cruise  to  the  Mediterranean.  Arrive  at  Cherbourg  Sep- 
tember nth,  pass  Gibraltar  (without  stopping)  October 
23d,  and  arrive  at  Mahon,  island  of  Minorca,  November 
3d.*  During  the  summer  cruise  visited  Toulon  in 
France;  in  Italy,  Genoa,  Leghorn,  Florence,  Naples, 
and  the  surrounding  country;  passed  through  the  Straits 
of  Messina  and  spent  three  months  in  the  Archipelago, 
visiting  Athens,  Napoli  di  Romania,  island  of  Milo,  and 
Smyrna,  in  whose  harbor  the  greater  part  of  this  time 
was  passed.  Leave  Smyrna  September  24th,  and  arrive 
in  Mahon  October  Qth.  Sunday,  October  26th,  leave 
Mahon  for  New  York,  where  we  arrived  December  10, 
1834,  soon  after  which,"  adds  the  traveller,  "  my  con- 
nection with  the  navy  was  dissolved." 

The  first  impressions  of  nautical  life  are  thus  given  in 
a  letter  to  his  mother  from  the  ship  Delaware,  Hampton 
Roads,  a  short  time  previous  to  the  beginning  of  the 
cruise. 

*  Before  leaving  Mahon,  Dana  was  transferred  to  the  frigate  United 
States,  on  which  the  voyage  was  continued  until  the  return  to  America. 

24 


LIFE   ON   THE  MEDITERRANEAN 

TO   HIS  MOTHER 

"  July  25,  1833. 

"  I  am  very  pleasantly  situated  on  board,  associated 
with  a  fine  set  of  young  men  and  having  better  accom- 
modations than  is  usual  with  schoolmasters  in  the  navy. 
I  have  not  yet  experienced  any  of  the  inconveniences  of 
a  sea  life,  our  board  being  similar  to  what  it  was  on 
land,  as  we  are  not  yet  entirely  out  of  the  reach  of 
markets  or  of  fresh  provisions.  We  do  not  draw  our 
rations  in  ship's  provisions,  but  instead  take  their  value 
in  money  ($15  for  two  per  month),  and  with  that  lay  in 
our  own  store.  If  you  were  here,  you  would  see  me 
writing  on  a  mahogany  table,  which  the  captain  gave  us 
a  few  days  since  for  our  mess,  in  a  very  comfortable  room 
in  the  hinder  part  of  the  ship.  At  least  it  is  pleasant 
now  and  will  be  when  in  port ;  but  at  sea  we  shall  prob- 
ably live  nearly  all  the  time  by  candle-light.  However, 
on  the  whole  we  think  our  room  quite  comfortable, 
especially  as  we  shall  be  near  land  more  than  half  the 
time.  Two  carriages  with  guns  on  each  side  of  the  room, 
extending  just  out  of  the  port-holes,  are  part  of  our  furni- 
ture. We  now  number  eleven:  six  passed  midshipmen, 
three  assistant  surgeons,  captain's  clerk,  and  myself. 
Four  or  five  midshipmen  will  go  out  with  us  as  pas- 
sengers to  France,  making  in  all  seventeen  or  eighteen  in 
the  mess.  The  officers  on  the  ship  are  generally  quite 
agreeable  men,  and,  as  I  heard  one  person  say  (much  to 
his  discredit),  ridiculously  temperate.  I  every  day  see 
the  grog  served  out  to  the  sailors  at  morning,  noon,  and 
night;  still  I  understand  that  about  a  hundred  do  not 
receive  their  portion.  I  once  in  a  while  hear  of  a  case  of 
mania  a  potu,  or  madness  from  drinking,  among  the  crew, 
which  shows  that  we  have  the  most  desperate  characters 
as  well  as  the  most  temperate  on  board. 

"It  is  quite  a  novel  sight  to  see  five  or  six  hundred 
sailors  swinging  in  their  hammocks  on  one  of  the  decks, 
stowed  so  closely  as  almost  to  touch  one  another.  Their 
hammocks  are  merely  a  piece  of  cloth  suspended  by  cords 
attached  to  the  ends;  and  of  course  its  sides  close  up 
around  them  when  lying  in  it.  I  believe  in  my  former 
letter  I  stated  that  a  cot  was  given  me — a  much  more 
agreeable  receptacle  for  myself  at  night  than  the  loose 
hammock. 

25 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

"  At  New  York,  we  took  on  board  as  chaplain  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Stewart,  the  author  of  A  Journal  of  a  Voyage  to 
the  South  Seas,  and  formerly  a  missionary  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands.*  He  stands  high  in  the  estimation  of  the  Navy 
Department,  and  it  is  to  the  no  small  gratification  of  such 
officers  as  I  have  heard  speak  of  him  that  he  has  been 
selected  to  accompany  us.  The  captain  informed  me  that 
the  chaplain  would  preside  over  the  school  and  that  I 
would  be  an  assistant.  I  am  very  well  pleased  with  the 
arrangement,  as  it  will  give  it  more  importance  and  dig- 
nity, and  will  take  some  of  the  responsibility  from  me. 
The  ship's  library  will  be  put  under  my  charge.  .  .  ." 

The  following  letter,  addressed  to  his  brother  John, 
then  a  boy  of  sixteen  and  afterwards  a  practising  physi- 
cian in  New  York,  is  one  of  the  mementoes  of  the  voy- 
age. As  a  picture  of  a  famous  naval  rendezvous,  Port 
Mahon,  more  than  sixty  years  ago,  it  has  an  interest 
quite  apart  from  its  personal  allusions. 

TO   HIS   BROTHER  JOHN 

"  PORT  MAHON,  Dec.  18,  1833. 

"  You  will  probably,  before  the  reception  of  this  letter, 
have  heard  of  my  arrival  at  this  port.  I  suppose  you  re- 
member where  on  the  face  of  the  globe  it  is;  that  it  is  a 
famous  harbor  in  the  island  of  Minorca;  yes,  famous 
from  the  time  of  the  ancient  Carthaginians,  who  entered 
it  and,  as  is  supposed,  gave  it  its  name  after  one  of  their 
generals  or  commanders.  It  is,  I  suppose,  one  of  the 
best  harbors  in  this  sea.  It  runs  up  a  distance  of  three 
miles  from  the  south  into  the  island,  with  a  width  of  but 
a  half-mile;  is  deep  enough  for  the  largest  vessels,  and 
its  banks  are  so  steep  that  they  can  lie  alongside  of  the 
shore  throughout  a  great  part  of  it.  Nature  has  fur- 
nished its  sides  with  a  wall  of  stone,  while  its  bottom  is 
a  soft  mud  very  well  adapted  to  receive  an  anchor.  The 
Lazaretto,  that  is,  the  quarantine  ground,  is  a  small  island 

*  This  was  the  Rev.  Charles  S.  Stewart,  whose  Private  Journal  of  a 
Voyage  to  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  Residence  at  the  Sandwich  Islands,  1822- 
1825,  was  published  in  1828. 

26 


LIFE   AT   PORT    MAHON,  MINORCA 

about  a  mile  from  the  entrance.  Here  our  ship  was 
lying  for  six  days  in  quarantine.  I  presume  you  know 
what  it  is  to  be  in  quarantine.  You  have  read  of  the 
smoking  that  is  undergone  both  by  persons  in  quarantine 
and  letters,  etc., — of  the  suffocating  fumes  of  sulphur  that 
are  applied.  We  suffered  none  of  these  inconveniences, 
on  account  of  our  being  a  national  vessel,  and  indeed 
there  was  nothing  in  it  which  was  in  the  least  disagree- 
able, except  the  seeing  of  the  land  so  near  without  a 
possibility  of  reaching  it,  for  we  were  not  allowed  to 
leave  the  ship,  except  it  be  to  go  to  the  Lazaretto,  when 
an  officer  would  accompany  us  around.  It  was  really 
provoking  after  so  long  an  absence  from  land  (for  we  did 
not  stop  at  Gibraltar)  to  have  the  power  to  see  it  only. 
Glad  was  I  when  the  six  days  were  over  and  the  ship 
moved  farther  up  the  harbor  to  the  Navy  Yard,  where  she 
now  lies.  Mahon  is  opposite. 

"  This  is  the  usual  winter  quarters  of  our  squadron. 
Formerly  the  French  and  Dutch  also  wintered  here.  But 
on  account  of  some  difficulties  happening  between  the 
crews  of  different  nations,  we  now  have  the  harbor  to 
ourselves,  they  having  selected  other  places.  We  find  it 
a  tolerably  good  place  to  live  at,  have  plenty  of  fresh 
grub  (sailor  term  for  fresh  provisions),  among  which  I 
might  enumerate  several  kinds  of  fish,  partridges,  shell- 
fish in  abundance  (not  the  common  oyster  or  clam  of  our 
country,  but  what  some  prefer,  although  I  cannot  say 
that  I  do, — the  datefish,  found  in  holes  in  rocks  beneath 
water) ;  also  grapes,  a  most  delicious  fruit  in  these  coun- 
tries, much  superior  to  ours;  and  oranges  we  have  in 
abundance  from  a  neighboring  island — Majorca;  also 
figs,  etc.  Wine  is  another  of  the  articles  which  is 
here  afforded  in  great  abundance.  So  much  was  made 
on  this  island  for  the  past  season  that  they  had  not  bar- 
rels to  put  it  in.  Our  table  is  always  furnished  with  a 
couple  or  more  bottles  of  it,  and  it  is  drank  like  cider. 
For  12  cents  you  get  a  gallon,  and  I  suppose  it  is  as  good 
as  that  for  which  you  would  in  the  United  States  pay 
$1.50  per  bottle.  Thus  you  see  we  can  live  luxuriously 
here  if  we  choose.  The  sports  in  Mahon  are  few. 

"  Let  me  first  give  you  some  idea  of  the  place.  It  con- 
tains about  13,000  inhabitants,  in  houses  well  built  for  a 
Spanish  town.  Its  appearance  is  exceedingly  neat,  even 

27 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

more  cleanly  than  our  cities.  One  reason  for  this  is  that 
they  have  no  carriages,  making  the  jackass  answer  every 
purpose,  and  you  frequently  see  boys  in  the  streets  pick- 
ing up  in  baskets  the  dung  after  the  jacks,  which  they 
sell  for  manure, — such  is  their  poverty.  Whitewash  is 
used  here  very  profusely,  both  inside  and  out,  and  it  is 
this  mostly  which  gives  to  the  city  its  neat  appearance. 
The  streets  are  well  paved  but  without  sidewalks,  gener- 
ally narrow  and  crooked.  Thus  you  have  Mahon.  As 
I  said  before,  its  sports  are  not  numerous.  Some  of  the 
officers  make  a  sport  of  the  Monte's  table,  in  other 
words  gambling  table  (of  a  peculiar  kind),  when  some- 
times they  win,  but  almost  universally  ultimately  lose. 
Some  are  now  losers  of  a  hundred  dollars,  which  slipped 
from  them  in  one  night.  Poor  business!  I  never  try  it 
myself.  Each  tavern  is  furnished  with  them,  and  the 
character  of  the  officers  is  the  cause  of  it,  for  it  is  found 
that  a  hotel  without  one  is  not  frequented.  The  theatre 
has  been  open  once  and  I  attended,  but  it  was  nothing 
great,  half  circus,  part  dancing,  once  on  stilts,  and  the 
remainder  a  pantomime  which  was  the  most  pleasing 
part.  The  actors  merely  gesture,  and  thus  make  them- 
selves understood  and  go  through  a  singular  play.  Opera 
and  masquerades  are  amusements  which  some  expect  will 
be  open  in  the  course  of  the  winter.  The  death  of  the 
king  of  Spain — Ferdinand  VII. — has  thus  far  hindered 
them.  The  people  are  now  rejoicing  for  the  ascension 
of  the  queen. 

"  I  am  learning  to  play  on  the  guitar, — a  fine  instru- 
ment it  is. 

"  But  some  foreign  news  I  have  heard  which  is  of  the 
most  important  kind.  Louis  Philippe  has  been  im- 
prisoned. The  people  of  France  cry  for  a  republic. 
The  army  of  the  French  has  marched  from  the  frontiers 
of  Spain  to  Paris." 

The  tendency  of  Dana's  mind  is  shown  by  a  note  in 
which  he  mentions  the  pursuits  of  his  leisure  hours. 
These  are  his  words : 


During  the  summer,  engaged  aboard  ship  in  some 
crystallographic  investigations  founded  on  the  data  given 

28 


ASCENT   OF   MT.  VESUVIUS 

in  Phillips's  Mineralogy.  Calculated  the  dimensions  and 
angles  of  most  crystals  figured  by  him ;  contrived  a  new 
system  of  crystallographic  symbols.  Read  attentively 
Berzelius's  article  on  chemical  nomenclature.  Thought 
of  some  improvements. 

"  In  the  course  of  March  and  April  collected  pupae  of 
the  Hessian  fly  from  the  wheat-fields  on  the  island  of 
Minorca,  and  obtained  from  them  the  perfect  insect. 
This,  then,  is  no  longer  to  be  considered  an  American 
insect.  Afterwards  found  the  same  at  Toulon  and 
Naples."* 

In  July,  1834,  he  visited  Mount  Vesuvius,  and  wrote 
a  letter  to  his  former  teacher  in  New  Haven,  giving  an 
account  of  its  condition.  This  was  published  in  the 
American  Journal  of  Science  in  the  following  year, — 
the  first  of  that  long  series  of  communications  from  his 
pen  by  which  that  journal  was  enriched. 

At  a  later  date,  after  his  return,  he  speaks  of  arranging 
on  paper  the  results  of  his  investigations  of  the  geology 
of  Minorca,  which  considerably  interested  him  while  on 
the  island. 

By  these  tokens  the  coming  naturalist  is  revealed ; — all 
this  when  he  had  but  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one. 

To  the  rapid  reader  the  Vesuvius  letter  may  appear 
somewhat  dry,  but  those  who  are  interested  in  the  de- 
velopment of  Professor  Dana's  mind,  and  in  his  career 
as  an  observer  of  geological  phenomena,  cannot  fail  to 
notice  that  this  ascent  of  Vesuvius  made  a  strong  im- 
pression on  the  youthful  student,  and  that  he  often 
recurred  to  this  experience  in  subsequent  years,  and  es- 
pecially in  his  study  of  the  Hawaiian  volcanoes.  The 
letter  will  therefore  be  printed  in  the  second  part  of  this 
volume. 

*  After  returning  from  the  Mediterranean,  he  published,  in  connection 
with  Mr.  J.  D.  Whelpley,  a  description  of  two  new  species  of  Hydrachnella, 
which  are  christened  Hydrachna  formosa  and  Hydrachna  pyriforma,  and, 
in  connection  with  Herrick,  a  detailed  description  of  a  new  species  of 
Argulus^  which  they  named  the  Argulus  catostomi, 

29 


LIFE    OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

In  another  letter  Dana  writes  that  he  does  not  expect 
to  remain  in  the  navy  beyond  the  next  fall.  "  I  have  set 
my  heart  on  going  to  Paris  to  study  my  profession,  and 
hope  that  father's  consent  and  assistance  will  be  given. 
I  should  be  highly  gratified  to  remain  nine  or  ten  months 
in  that  place,  a  city  where  exists  as  much  science  as  in 
any  other  in  the  world,  if  not  more." 

After  a  cruise  in  the  Levant,  and  a  sojourn  in  Smyrna, 
the  naturalist  came  home,  arriving  in  New  York  near  the 
end  of  the  year,  after  a  voyage  of  sixteen  months. 


CHAPTER  IV 

PREPARATION  OF   THE   "  MINERALOGY  ",    1835-1838 

Waiting  for  Opportunities  :  A  Period  of  Solicitude — Assistant  to  Professor 
Silliman — The  Yale  Institute  of  Natural  Science — Preparation  of  the 
Treatise  on  Mineralogy — Chemical  Nomenclature — Letters  to  Berzelius 
— The  Various  Editions  of  the  System  of  Mineralogy — Models  of 
Crystalline  Forms. 

THE  interval  between  the  cruise  on  the  Mediterranean 
and  the  Exploring  Expedition  was  a  period  of  solici- 
tude,— not  without  important  occupations.  Fortunately 
the  wilderness  of  waiting  did  not  enclose  "  a  slough  of 
despond."  Dana  never  lost  his  courage,  never  swerved 
from  his  purpose.  Pallas  Athene  was  constantly  whisper- 
ing to  him,  as  she  did  to  Odysseus,  and  inspiring  his 
enthusiasm.  He  heard  the  call  to  a  life  of  scientific 
research,  and  at  the  same  time  he  felt  the  necessity  of 
securing  pecuniary  support.  His  father,  a  man  of  busi- 
ness with  a  large  dependent  family,  could  not  but  ask 
whether  science  would  yield  any  income.  The  son 
weighed  all  the  considerations,  and  thus  addressed  his 
father : 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  July  27,  1835. 

"  It  is  not  very  pleasant  to  be  myself  supported  while 
my  brothers  are  supporting  themselves.  But  I  do  not 
know  how  to  make  it  otherwise.  I  hardly  know  how  to 
arrange  my  plans  for  the  future.  I  sometimes  almost 
wish  that  I  had  gone  into  the  store,  where  it  appears  to 
me  that  I  should  not  have  had  to  have  lived  a  life  of  so 
much  doubt  and  uncertainty  as  appears  now  to  be  my 
prospect.  The  law  I  cannot  take  up.  I  do  not  feel  that 

31 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

I  have  the  right  kind  of  ability  to  succeed  in  it.  A  long 
apprenticeship  I  should  have  to  undergo,  which  would  be 
perhaps  a  prelude  to  continual  poverty.  The  future 
would  appear  to  me  exceedingly  dark  were  I  to  under- 
take it.  Moreover,  I  should  have  to  change  the  whole 
disposition  of  my  mind,  my  firmly  settled  tastes  must  be 
rooted  out  and  thrown  away;  indeed  it  appears  to  me 
that  it  would  be  working  against  nature,  against  the 
natural  bent  of  my  mind,  and  would  not  be  unlike  at- 
tempting to  make  a  fish  live  out  of  water. 

"  Medicine  is  not  so  much  opposed  to  my  tastes.  It 
investigates  the  anatomy  of  the  human  system,  and  the 
nature  and  use  of  its  various  organs,  etc., — particulars 
which  belong  in  some  degree  to  natural  history.  In- 
deed it  appears  to  be  closely  allied  to  the  natural  sciences. 
Yet  I  hardly  think  I  should  like  the  practice,  it  is  so 
laborious,  and  in  many  instances  so  disgusting,  as  it 
makes  known  all  the  misery  and  wretchedness  in  the 
world,  of  which  it  seems  to  me  we  see  enough  without 
hunting  for  it.  Yet  I  think  I  should  be  disposed  to  take 
it  up  should  I  desert  natural  history.  And  what  had  I 
better  do  ?  Give  it  up  or  not  ?  I  have  had  some  thoughts 
of  spending  the  next  year  here,  and  of  going  into  the 
laboratory,  and  spending  the  same  time  there  that  I 
would  were  I  Professor  Silliman's  assistant.  He  has 
given  me  the  permission." 

Presently  there  came  the  long-desired  invitation  from 
Professor  Silliman  to  become  his  assistant  in  the  chemi-- 
cal  laboratory  at  New  Haven,  a  post  which  had  before 
been  held  by  bright  young  men  with  scientific  proclivi- 
ties,— Sherlock  J.  Andrews,  Benjamin  D.  Silliman,  Burr 
Noyes,  Charles  U.  Shepard,  and  Oliver  P.  Hubbard. 
Amos  Eaton,  too,  had  been  a  student  there.  This  call 
was  probably  the  turning-point  in  Dana's  career.  It  came 
just  at  the  right  moment,  for  it  established  his  home 
among  men  of  kindred  tastes,  among  opportunities  which 
were  the  best  that  the  country  then  afforded  for  the  pros- 
ecution of  science.  Dana  expressed  to  Professor  Silli- 
man the  opinion  that  there  was  no  other  city  in  the 
country  so  pleasant  for  study  as  New  Haven.  '  The 

32 


ATTRACTIONS   OF   NEW   HAVEN 

numerous  attractions  it  has,  its  libraries,  cabinets  of  speci- 
mens in  natural  history,  and  your  laboratory,  had  al- 
ready determined  me  to  make  it  my  place  of  residence 
while  studying  for  a  profession."  Among  the  advan- 
tages, the  cabinet  of  minerals  bought  from  Colonel  Gibbs 
(already  mentioned)  must  not  be  forgotten. 

The  duties  of  the  new  position  were  not  arduous,  and 
they  gave  the  young  man  both  opportunity  and  leisure 
for  study.  He  thus  speaks  of  the  place: 

1  The  duties,  however,  are  quite  light,  for  they  consist 
mainly  in  laying  out  the  specimens,  geological  or  min- 
eralogical,  for  the  lectures  of  Professor  Silliman,  and  the 
whole  does  not  occupy  more  than  three  hours  per  day. 
I  find,  however,  sufficient  to  occupy  the  remaining  part 
of  the  day,  so  that  I  am  not  compelled  to  betake  myself 
to  that  most  laborious  method  of  spending  time,  idle- 
ness." 

In  those  years  there  was  at  New  Haven  an  association 
of  Yalensians  which  might  have  been  called  "  the  little 
Academy,"  like  that  at  Munich  mentioned  in  the  memoirs 
of  Louis  Agassiz.  The  Yale  Institute  of  Natural  Science, 
which  afterwards  became  the  Yale  Natural  History  So- 
ciety, had  been  established  during  Dana's  cruise  on  the 
Mediterranean.  Its  object  was  declared  to  be  the  pro- 
motion of  the  study  of  nature.  A  student  of  medicine 
from  Brazil,  whose  name  has  disappeared  from  fame,  ap- 
pears to  have  been  the  originator, — J.  Francesco  Lima, 
who  took  his  degree  of  M.D.  in  1839  anc*  soon  returned 
with  his  brother  to  South  America.  Among  the  other 
members,  better  known,  were  Charles  U.  Shepard,  after- 
wards distinguished  for  his  work  in  mineralogy  and  for 
his  superb  collections  of  minerals  and  of  meteoric  stones; 
Edward  C.  Herrick,  already  introduced  to  the  reader; 
James  D.  Whelpley,  a  promising  mineralogist ;  and  Ben- 
jamin Silliman,  Jr.,  afterwards  a  professor  of  chemistry. 
Four  professors — the  elder  Silliman  and  Denison  Olm- 

33 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

sted  among  them — were  curators.  William  McClure, 
one  of  the  earliest  investigators  of  American  geology, 
sent  to  the  society,  from  Mexico,  a  generous  gift  of  five 
hundred  dollars,  and  Mr.  Buck,  of  New  York,  the  like 
amount,  for  the  purchase  of  books.  After  his  return  from 
sea,  Dana  took  his  part  in  the  proceedings. 

A  copy  of  the  constitution  of  this  society,  sent  by 
Herrick  to  Dana,  is  worth  reprinting,  for  the  very  exist- 
ence of  the  association  is  almost  forgotten. 

"ARTICLE  I. — This  association  shall  be  called  the  Yale  Institute  of 
Natural  Science. 

"ART.  II. — The  object  of  this  association  shall  be  to  promote  the  pur- 
suit and  critical  investigation  of  Natural  Science,  in  its  various  branches. 

"ART.  III. — Any  member  of  any  of  the  departments  of  Yale  College 
may  be  admitted  to  this  association  by  a  vote  of  the  majority,  and  any 
other  person  by  a  vote  of  three-fourths. 

"ART.  IV. — Every  member  of  this  association  shall  pledge  himself  to 
engage  in  the  pursuit  of  some  particular  branch  or  branches  of  Natural 
Science,  in  which  he  shall  make  investigations  and  collections,  and  transmit 
them  to  the  association  free  of  expense.  And  any  person  who  suffers  a 
period  of  three  years  to  elapse,  without  making  any  communication  to  the 
association  on  the  branch  or  branches  to  which  he  is  thus  pledged,  shall  be 
considered  as  having  withdrawn  himself  from  membership,  until  such 
communication  be  made. 

"ART.  V. — The  Professor  of  Chemistry,  Mineralogy,  and  Geology;  of 
Materia  Medica  and  Therapeutics  ;  of  Anatomy  and  Physiology  ;  and  of 
Natural  Philosophy  and  Astronomy,  shall  constitute  a  permanent  board 
of  Curators,  and  to  their  trust  and  disposal  shall  be  committed  the  collec- 
tions in  the  various  branches  of  Natural  History,  which  may  be  formed  by 
the  contribution  of  the  members,  to  be  held  by  the  Curators  as  the  property 
of  the  association.  They  shall  also  receive  and  dispose  of,  according  to 
their  judgment,  the  written  communications  of  the  members. 

"  ART.  VI. — The  association  shall  appoint  a  Secretary,  whose  duty  shall 
be  to  report  the  proceedings  of  the  association,  keep  a  list  of  all  the  com- 
munications and  specimens  transmitted,  and  preserve  all  documents,  and  do 
such  other  writings  as  the  board  of  Curators  may  think  necessary.  If  the 
Secretary  be  obliged  by  any  circumstance  to  resign  in  the  intermission  of 
the  Medical  term,  the  board  may  appoint  a  Secretary  pro  tempore,  until  the 
next  meeting  of  the  association. 

"  ART.  VII. — The  senior  member  present  of  the  board  of  Curators  shall 
preside  at  the  meetings,  and  in  the  absence  of  all  the  Curators  the  associa- 
tion shall  appoint  a  Chairman  pro  temfore. 

34 


YALE   INSTITUTE   OF   NATURAL   SCIENCE 

"ART.  VIII. — Each  member  of  this  association  shall  contribute  trien- 
nially  five  dollars,  until  he  shall  have  made  three  pecuniary  contributions, 
to  constitute  a  fund  for  the  association  ;  except  those  who  when  elected 
were  not  members  of  any  department  of  Yale  College,  of  whom  shall  be 
required  only  the  first  triennial  fee.  And  any  member  who  shall  neglect 
payment,  shall  forfeit  his  membership,  until  the  said  payment  be  made. 
All  the  funds  shall  be  entrusted  to  the  senior  member  of  the  board  of 
Curators. 

"  ART.  IX. — There  shall  be  annually,  as  soon  as  the  funds  will  admit, 
three  premiums  offered  for  the  encouragement  of  scientific  merit,  viz., 
thirty  dollars  for  the  most  valuable  communication  made  to  the  association 
during  the  year,  twenty  dollars  for  the  second  in  merit,  and  ten  for  the 
third,  to  be  awarded  by  the  board  of  Curators,  and  presented  in  scientific 
books  or  instruments. 

"  ART.  X. — There  shall  be  a  catalogue  published  triennially  containing 
the  names  of  all  those  who  have  fulfilled  the  conditions  of  membership, 
with  an  account  of  the  communications  received  from  each,  and  a  summary 
of  the  affairs  of  the  association. 

"ART.  XI. — The  annual  meeting  of  the  association  shall  be  held  on  the 
last  Wednesday  in  November,  at  which  time  the  Curators  shall  report  on 
the  affairs  of  the  association  generally  ;  the  association  shall  then  also  elect 
a  Secretary  and  proceed  to  the  admission  of  members.  Other  meetings 
may  be  held  by  the  call  of  the  Curators,  and  may  be  adjourned  to  any  day 
by  two-thirds  of  the  members  present. 

"  ART.  XII. — There  shall  be  an  address  on  some  subject  connected  with 
the  objects  of  this  association,  delivered  at  such  place  as  the  association 
may  appoint,  on  the  first  Wednesday  in  January,  by  an  appointment  made 
one  year  previous. 

"ART.  XIII. — Every  member  of  the  association  shall  be  entitled  to  a 
copy  of  each  of  its  published  documents,  which  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the 
Secretary  to  forward  to  them. 

"  ART.  XIV. — This  Constitution  may  be  amended  by  a  vote  of  two-thirds 
of  the  association  at  any  annual  meeting." 

This  was  the  period  in  which  Dana  produced  the  treatise 
on  Mineralogy,  which  was  augmented  and  revised  at  in- 
tervals during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  As  this  was  the 
first  and  perhaps  the  most  original  of  all  his  writings, 
everything  which  throws  light  upon  its  origin  is  of  in- 
terest. I  remember  well  how  anxious  Dana  was  at  a 
certain  time  to  see  the  first  and  the  last  edition  of  Lin- 
naeus, in  order  that  he  might  trace  from  their  sources  the 
conclusions  of  that  student  of  the  system  of  nature.  So 

35 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

whether  we  are  mineralogists  or  observers  of  the  growth 
of  a  mind,  the  story  is  instructive.  Take  the  world  over, 
I  suppose  that  his  work  on  Mineralogy  is  better  known 
than  any  of  his  other  writings. 

We  know  that  as  a  schoolboy  he  began  to  collect  the 
rocks  and  minerals  of  Oneida  County.  In  college  he  had 
engaged  in  similar  work.  During  the  cruise  he  was  on 
the  alert  for  the  discovery  of  new  facts,  and  for  the 
further  consideration  of  those  that  were  not  new  to  him. 
Thus  he  wrote  to  Professor  Silliman,  December  29,  1834: 

"  My  cruise  in  the  Levant  was  quite  an  interesting 
one,  but  not  so  much  so  as  it  would  have  been  had  we 
not,  on  our  arrival  at  Smyrna,  found  the  plague  there. 
On  account  of  it,  it  was  not  possible  for  me  to  visit  Con- 
stantinople, a  place  I  had  much  desired  to  see.  This, 
however,  led  to  my  discovering  an  interesting  locality  of 
minerals  near  Vourla,  twenty  miles  from  Smyrna,  where 
we  spent  most  of  our  time  while  in  the  Archipelago.  It 
was  a  locality  of  yellow  jasper  and  common  opal,  both 
in  situ.  The  rock  was  a  lime-rock.  Frequently  these 
two  minerals  were  disseminated  the  one  through  the 
other.  The  query  arose  in  my  mind,  whether  their  situa- 
tion did  not  correspond  with  that  of  the  hornstone  in  one 
of  our  lime-rocks  (the  corniferous  of  Eaton).  The  opal 
often  appeared  to  degenerate  into  a  mineral  between  flint 
and  hornstone.  I  afterwards  found  the  lime-rock  at 
Athens  to  contain  veins  of  red  hornstone,  but  the  fact, 
the  limestone  being  very  nearly  the  same,  convinced  me 
that  the  above  supposition  was  in  reality  a  fact.  I  will 
hand  you  specimens  on  my  arrival  in  New  Haven,  and 
receive,  if  you  please,  your  opinion  with  regard  to  them." 

In  the  notes  which  were  previously  mentioned,  a 
record  of  his  studies  while  at  sea,  and  of  his  observations 
on  the  geology  of  Minorca,  has  been  preserved.  Thus 
on  this  Mediterranean  voyage,  when  only  twenty-one  and 
twenty-two  years  old,  the  future  zoologist,  mineralogist, 
and  geologist  was  pursuing,  without  a  living  teacher,  his 
graduate  studies,  and  engaging,  without  a  personal  guide, 

36 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  TREATISE  ON  MINERALOGY 

or  a  fellowship,  or  the  aid  of  a  friend,  in  original  investi- 
gation. How  many  young  men  with  all  the  apparatus 
and  incitements  of  a  university  have  done  as  well  ? 

The  system  of  chemical  nomenclature  devised  by  Dana 
was  appended  to  Professor  Shepard 's  Mineralogy,  pub- 
lished in  May,  1835.  Fortunately,  there  is  a  letter  from 
Dana  to  his  father  which  tells  of  this  recognition  and  its 
encouragement. 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  April  13,  1835. 

"  Since  my  arrival  here  things  have  happened  which  I 
had  hardly  expected,  a  knowledge  of  which  will  probably 
show  you  that  in  my  determination  to  spend  the  spring 
and  summer  here,  I  was  guided  by  a  wish  to  occupy  my 
time  to  the  most  advantage.  As  one  thing,  I  refer  to 
my  success  in  obtaining  a  place  in  Silliman's  Journal  of 
Science  for  an  article  of  mine,  that,  but  for  the  encourage- 
ment of  a  scientific  person  here  and  his  entire  approval  of 
it,  would  probably  have  remained  a  long  time  unpub- 
lished. This  person  was  so  much  pleased  with  the  system 
exposed  in  it  that  he  spoke  of  introducing  it  into  his 
Mineralogy,  when  he  publishes  a  second  edition.  The 
first  is  now  nearly  ready  for  sale.  You  remember  that  I 
was  writing  for  several  days  at  home.  That  subject  also 
has  much  pleased  this  same  person  (Mr.  Shepard,*  for- 
merly assistant  to  Professor  Silliman),  and  so  much  so  that 
he  has  made  use  of  its  principles  in  a  catalogue  of  minerals 
to  be  appended  to  his  forthcoming  Mineralogy.  He  will, 
of  course,  give  credit  to  whom  credit  is  due.  He  also 
encourages  me  in  writing  on  other  subjects ;  and  probably 
in  the  course  of  the  coming  year  there  will  be  other 
articles,  beside  the  one  referred  to  above,  to  appear  in  the 
Journal  of  Science.  That  article  will  be  printed  in  the 
July  number. 

"  I  do  not  speak  of  these  things  from  pride  or  vanity 
— far  from  it — but  to  let  you  know  the  advantages  I 
derive  from  my  residence  in  this  city.  At  Utica  my  time 
would  have  been  entirely  misspent.  I  there  could  have 
had  none  of  the  books  which  I  have  found  absolutely 

*  Professor  Charles  U.  Shepard,  afterwards  of  Charleston,  S.  C.,  and 
Amherst. 

37 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

necessary  in  studying  the  different  subjects  I  have  had 
under  consideration,  none  of  the  information  I  have  de- 
rived from  consulting  others,  none  of  their  advice,  no 
cabinets  to  consult,  etc.  Besides,  there  is  much  ad- 
vantage in  being  with  those  who  are  attending  to  the 
same  studies  with  yourself.  You  seem  to  be  carried 
easily  on  by  the  current ;  whereas  if  alone,  others  about 
you  treating  your  favorite  pursuits  with  entire  neglect,  it 
is  almost  like  striving  against  the  current. 

"  I  have  heard  respecting  Mr.  Hubbard,  who  is  now 
lecturing  at  Middletown,  that  every  prospect  is  in  favor 
of  his  being  appointed  professor  in  the  Wesleyan  College 
at  that  place.  The  doubt  with  regard  to  my  obtaining 
the  situation  I  desire  appears  to  be  gradually  removing. 
I  cannot,  however,  feel  certain  of  my  success  till  I  hear 
of  his  actual  appointment." 

An  article  upon  the  subject  of  chemical  nomenclature 
was  offered  to  Professor  Silliman,  who  refused  it  on  the 
ground  that  "  it  would  not  be  interesting  to  the  generality 
of  readers."  But  the  author  of  it  was  not  in  the  least 
dismayed  by  this  return  of  his  paper.  He  translated  the 
manuscript  into  Latin,  and  sent  it,  with  the  following 
letter,  to  Berzelius,  the  Swedish  chemist  and  physicist, 
who  was  then,  in  his  fifty-sixth  year,  at  the  height  of  his 
reputation.* 

TO   PROFESSOR  J.  J.  BERZELIUS   OF   STOCKHOLM 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  November  n,  1835. 

I  have  taken  the  liberty  to  send  you  the  accompany- 
ing manuscript  on  chemical  nomenclature,  being  anxious 
of  obtaining  the  criticisms  of  one  so  distinguished  in  the 
world  of  science.  Your  interest  in  the  subject  will  ex- 
cuse me,  I  doubt  not,  for  presuming  to  trouble  you  with  a 
perusal  of  it.  I  appear  to  myself  to  be  almost  guilty  of 
presumption  in  attempting  to  write  on  a  subject  which 
has  received  the  attention  of  one  so  much  more  capable. 
But  it  is  to  be  expected  that  some  improvements  should 

*  It  is  worth  noting  that  some  twenty  years  afterwards  the  name  of 
Berzelius  was  given  to  a  society  of  students,  still  flourishing,  in  the  Yale 
Scientific  School,  now  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School,  at  New  Haven. 

38 


LETTER  TO   BERZELIUS 

have  become  apparent,  since  the  science  is  so  rapidly 
advancing,  and  particularly  as  the  publication  of  your 
system  took  place  on  the  eve  of  the  very  important  dis- 
covery that  chlorids,  bromids,  etc.,  are  to  be  ranked  with 
oxyds  as  bases,  and  that  each  class  of  bases  has  its  corre- 
sponding class  of  acids,  with  which  they  form  correspond- 
ing classes  of  salts. 

'  The  few  principles  which  are  peculiar  to  the  nomen- 
clature offered  in  the  manuscript  occurred  to  me  while 
reading  the  article  on  the  same  subject  in  your  late  work 
on  chemistry,  of  which  you  will  see  evidence  in  the  gen- 
eral adoption  of  the  most  important  parts  of  your  own 
system,  and  in  the  identity  of  the  nomenclature  of  a  good 
part  of  chemical  compounds.  One  of  its  principal  pecu- 
liarities is  the  introduction  of  the  termination  acids  for 
electro-negative  compounds.  The  impossibility  of  mak- 
ing the  termination  id  distinguish  an  electro-negative 
compound  in  every  instance,  on  account  of  its  general 
adoption  in  a  contrary  sense  in  the  nomenclature  of  the 
compounds  of  oxygen,  led  me  to  attempt  to  obtain  one 
less  objectionable.  The  termination  acid,  considering  it, 
as  heretofore  used,  a  contraction  of  oxacid  (which  was 
evidently  understood  by  it),  appears  to  be  in  general  use; 
and  it  seemed  to  me  that  by  extending  it  to  the  electro- 
negative compound  of  chlorine,  bromine,  etc.,  I  was  but 
extending  an  old  principle  in  the  common  nomenclature. 
Thus  we  have  the  names,  hydric  chloracid,  stannic  sulph- 
acid,  etc.,  instead  of  hydric  chlorid,  stannic  sulphid,  etc. 

1  This  is  my  apology  for  differing  from  one  to  whom 
the  science  is  much  indebted  for  its  late  rapid  advance- 
ment, the  mention  of  whose  name  always  infuses  into  me 
feelings  of  respect  and  admiration. 

"  In  the  application  of  the  law  for  the  use  of  minerals, 
I  have  adhered  to  the  plan  of  expressing  by  them  the 
proportion  of  the  two  compounds  contained,  without 
reference  to  the  electro-negative  element.  I  rather  in- 
cline to  the  method,  as  it  appears  to  be  somewhat  more 
simple  than  any  other  and  to  possess  equal  advantages. 
The  law  will,  however,  remain  the  same  in  whatever  way 
applied. 

'  The  system  of  nomenclature  here  proposed,  such  as 
it  is,  I  offer  for  your  consideration,  and  any  criticisms 
from  you  would  be  gratefully  received.  It  has  been  my 

39 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

wish,  before  making  it  public,  to  consult  one  of  the  foun- 
tain sources  of  chemical  knowledge,  and  certainly  there 
is  no  one  in  whose  judgment  I  would  place  more  confi- 
dence than  in  that  of  Berzelius. 

"  If  it  meets  with  your  approbation,  it  is  at  your  dis- 
posal. It  would  be  a  gratification  to  me  could  it  be  pub- 
lished in  some  European  journal." 

Fearing,  in  those  days  of  uncertain  mails,  that  this 
letter  might  miscarry,  a  second  copy  of  the  article  was 
sent  about  two  months  later,  with  another  letter. 

TO  PROFESSOR  BERZELIUS 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  Jan.  16,  1836. 

"  My  anxiety  to  receive  the  opinion  and  criticisms  of 
one  of  the  oracles  of  chemical  science  has  induced  me  to 
address  to  you  a  second  copy  of  my  manuscript  on  chem- 
ical nomenclature,  supposing  that  some  one  of  the  acci- 
dents to  which  packages  travelling  so  great  a  distance  are 
liable  might  possibly  have  befallen  that  sent  with  the  last 
number  of  Professor  Silliman's  Journal  of  Science.  To 
this  I  wish  a  safe  and  speedy  voyage. 

'  Your  knowledge  of  the  rapidly  advancing  state  of  the 
science  will  induce  you,  I  doubt  not,  to  excuse  the  pre- 
sumption I  appear  to  be  guilty  of  in  writing  on  a  subject 
which  but  a  few  years  since  engaged  the  attention  of  one 
so  much  more  capable.  The  few  peculiarities  of  the 
system  here  proposed  occurred  to  me  while  reading  the 
article  on  the  subject  in  your  late  work  on  chemistry,  as 
will  appear  in  the  general  adoption  of  some  of  the  most 
important  parts  of  your  own  system,  and  in  the  identity 
of  the  nomenclature  of  a  great  part  of  chemical  com- 
pounds." 

After  a  long  delay,  which  was  fully  explained,  a  full 
and  considerate  reply  was  received  from  Berzelius,  which 
will  be  given  later. 

At  Utica,  in  the  latter  part  of  August,  1836,  during 
the  vacation  of  Yale  College,  Dana  wrote  off  about  fifty 
pages  on  crystallography,  intending  it,  as  he  says,  merely 

40 


LATER   EDITIONS   OF   THE   MINERALOGY 

for  future  reference.  On  returning  to  New  Haven,  he 
was  induced,  probably  by  Herrick,  to  continue  and  com- 
plete a  treatise  on  the  subject  and  connect  it  with  a 
system  of  mineralogy.  The  System  of  Mineralogy  and 
Crystallography  went  to  press  about  the  middle  of  De- 
cember, and  was  published  in  the  following  spring.  It 
was  at  once  received  with  favor  in  Europe  as  well  as  in 
America.  The  London  Athenceum,  for  example,  declared 
it  to  be  highly  creditable  to  the  laborious  zeal  and  science 
of  the  author,  and  equally  useful  to  England  and  the 
United  States. 

The  further  growth  of  this  standard  work,  which,  by 
its  successive  revisions,  has  held  its  place  among  the  chief 
authorities  in  mineralogical  science,  has  been  thus  de- 
scribed in  the  American  Journal  of  Science  by  the  younger 
Professor  Dana.  He  became,  with  Professor  Brush,  a 
most  serviceable  collaborator,  and  prepared  the  sixth 
edition  of  his  father's  work  (1892). 

"  The  first  edition  of  the  System  of  Mineralogy  was 
issued,  as  has  been  stated,  in  1837,  when  the  author  was 
only  twenty-four  years  old.  This  large  volume  shows  a 
close  study  of  the  great  works  of  Hauy,  Mohs,  and  Nau- 
mann,  and  of  others  who  had  preceded.  It  is,  however, 
more  than  an  industrious  compilation  from  earlier  authors, 
particularly  as  regards  the  chapters  on  crystallogeny 
and  mathematical  crystallography.  The  classification 
adopted  is  the  so-called  natural  system,  the  serious 
shortcomings  of  which  were  later  fully  appreciated.  The 
nomenclature  attempted,  devised  by  him  to  suit  this 
classification,  was  on  the  dual  Latin  plan  '  so  advanta- 
geously pursued  in  botany  and  zoology. '  The  second  edi- 
tion of  the  System  (1844)  preserved  these  features,  but  in 
a  supplement  a  classification  based  on  chemical  principles 
is  proposed,  and  this,  further  developed,  is  adopted  in 
the  third  edition  (1850),  while  the  Latin  nomenclature  is 
abandoned. 

"  In  connection  with  this  fundamental  change,  it  seems 
worth  while  to  quote  from  the  preface  of  this  edition, 

41 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

since  what  is  said  here  was  so  characteristic  of  the  author's 
attitude  of  mind  to  scientific  truth  in  general. 

"-*-.  .  .  To  change  is  always  seeming  fickleness. 
But  not  to  change  with  the  advance  of  science  is  worse ; 
it  is  persistence  in  error;  and,  therefore,  notwithstanding 
the  former  adoption  of  what  has  been  called  the  natural- 
history  system,  and  the  pledge  to  its  support  given  by  the 
author,  in  supplying  it  with  a  Latin  nomenclature,  the 
whole  system,  its  classes,  orders,  genera,  and  Latin 
names,  has  been  rejected.  .  .  .' 

"  It  was  in  the  fourth  edition  of  the  Mineralogy,  in 
1854,  that  the  chemical  classification,  essentially  as  now 
understood,  took  its  full  place.  In  this  edition,  more- 
over, the  other  parts  of  the  work  were  put  in  new  and 
better  form,  containing  the  result  of  much  thought  on 
crystallogeny  and  homceomorphism.  The  fifth  edition 
(1868),  which  includes  only  the  description  of  species,  is 
a  monumental  work, — the  most  complete  treatise,  indeed, 
that  had  ever  been  attempted.  In  it  the  classification 
was  still  further  developed,  the  nomenclature  simplified 
and  systematized,  and  in  connection  with  the  latter  sub- 
ject an  exhaustive  review  of  the  entire  mineralogical 
literature  from  the  beginning  was  made  in  order  to  un- 
ravel the  vexed  questions  of  the  history  and  priority  of 
mineral  names.  This  last  feature  of  the  volume  was  a 
labor  involving  great  patience  and  skill.  It  was  in  recog- 
nition of  this  work  that  he  received  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Philosophy  from  the  University  of  Munich  in  1870. 
In  the  sixth  edition  of  the  System  (1892),  by  his  son,  he 
took  a  lively  interest,  but  was  unable  to  co-operate  in 
the  labor  actively  in  consequence  of  the  condition  of  his 
health ;  even  the  reading  of  the  final  proofs,  though  at- 
tempted, had  to  be  soon  given  up. 

"  Besides  the  System,  he  also  issued  a  small  work,  called 
the  Manual  of  Mineralogy,  which  has  passed  through  four 
editions  (1848,  1857,  l87?>  1887).  The  pages  of  this 
Journal  also  contain,  particularly  down  to  1868,  many 
papers  on  mineralogical  topics;  his  last  paper  in  this  field 
was  published  in  1874.  The  subjects  that  interested  him 
were,  for  the  most  part,  those  of  a  general  and  philosophi- 
cal nature,  such  as  questions  of  classification,  theories  of 
crystallogeny,  and  the  morphological  relations  of  species. 
In  the  points  connected  with  the  descriptions  of  individual 

42 


MODELS   OF   CRYSTALS 

species  he  took  less  interest,  though  his  observations  here 
were  numerous  and  important." 

Before  leaving  Utica  for  his  duties  in  New  Haven, 
Dana  made  a  set  of  crystalline  forms,  in  glass,  and  he 
found  it  easy  (as  he  says)  with  this  material  to  represent 
the  primitive  form  within  the  secondary.  About  the 
same  time,  he  prepared  an  article  on  crystallographic 
symbols,  which  was  published  in  Silliman's  Journal. 
He  also  made  out  a  nomenclature  for  minerals,  analogous 
to  those  in  use  in  other  branches  of  natural  history, 
which  was  read  before  the  Lyceum  of  Natural  History  in 
New  York,  and  ordered  to  be  printed  in  their  Annals. 
Further  progress  in  the  making  of  models  is  shown  by 
the  following  letter. 

TO   HIS   SISTER   HARRIET 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  CT.,  February,  1836. 

"  Mr.  Shepard,  some  five  or  six  months  since,  asked 
me  whether  I  would  not  wish  to  propose  myself  as  a  can- 
didate for  one  of  two  colleges,  Dartmouth,  N.  H.,  or 
Middlebury,  Vt.,  and  I  believe  my  name  was  sent  to  the 
former,  although  I  hardly  assented  to  it,  and  afterwards 
expressed  to  him  my  disinclination  to  enter  on  the  duties 
of  professor  till  some  more  preparation  had  been  made. 
I  am  glad  that  circumstances  are  as  they  are.  Indeed 
I  think  I  have  reason  to  be  pleased  that  I  have  not  been 
engaged  as  Silliman's  assistant  this  winter. 

"  One  important  thing  I  have  accomplished  which  I 
think  will  be  of  great  service  to  me,  although  I  presume 
it  would  not  appear  to  you  so  important.  I  refer  to  the 
reconstruction  of  my  set  of  crystalline  forms  of  glass. 
My  old  ones  are  so  inferior  that  I  have  entirely  discarded 
them.  I  have  also  made  another  set  in  conjunction  with 
a  person  lately  appointed  professor  at  Bristol  College, 
Pennsylvania,  who  has  been  working  with  me  the  few 
weeks  past,  and  this  set  has  been  sent  to  a  store  in  New 
York  for  sale.  I  did  wish  to  find  some  one  who  would 
engage  in  making  them,  agreeable  to  Professor  Silliman's 

43 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

suggestion,  and  in  fact  tried  one  person,  but  this  person 
made  out  so  poorly  that  it  was  soon  given  up.  A  price 
is  set  upon  them  that  will  pay  for  all  the  trouble  of 
making  them.  There  are  thirty-seven  in  all  for  one 
hundred  dollars." 


44 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  UNITED   STATES  EXPLORING  EXPEDITION, 
1838-1842 

Its  Projector,  John  N.  Reynolds — Progress  of  the  Plan  and  its  Final  Adop- 
tion— Organization — The  Naval  Officers  and  the  Scientific  Corps — 
Dana's  Appointment — Final  Instructions  and  Departure  from  Hampton 
Roads. 

WE  are  now  brought  to  consider  an  enterprise  which 
did  great  credit  to  this  country  and  had  an  im- 
portant influence  upon  the  life  of  Professor  Dana.  The 
United  States  Exploring  Expedition,  under  Captain 
Wilkes,  made  its  investigation  of  the  coasts  and  islands 
of  the  Pacific  Ocean  between  1838  and  1842.  This  im- 
portant cruise  has  so  far  passed  from  memory  that  it  is 
quite  worth  while  to  give  a  considerable  space  to  its  his- 
tory, with  which  Dana's  biography  is  closely  interwoven. 
The  father  of  this  project  was  John  N.  Reynolds, — who 
began  to  advocate  the  exploration  of  the  South  Seas  as 
early  as  1827,  soon  after  the  appearance  of  Admiral 
Krusenstern's  great  work,  in  advance  of  the  return  of 
Captain  Beechey,  and  four  years  before  the  departure  of 
the  Beagle  and  Adventure,  under  Captain  Fitzroy.  Little 
is  remembered  respecting  the  life  and  character  of  the 
enthusiastic  projector.  His  name  has  dropped  out  of 
the  roll  of  famous  Americans,  or,  strictly  speaking,  it  has 
never  been  there, — and  yet  he  deserves  commemoration 
because  for  a  decade  and  more  he  was  indefatigable  in 
promoting  this  great  naval  undertaking.  It  is  therefore 

45 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

worth  while  to  place  on  record  the  particulars  I  have 
gathered,  although  they  are  so  imperfect  that  we  may 
almost  apply  to  their  subject  the  words  of  the  dying 
Keats,  "  Here  lies  one  whose  name  was  writ  in  water." 

Reynolds  was  a  resident  of  Ohio,  but  whether  a  native 
of  that  State  I  have  not  learned.  He  wrote  a  preface 
(as  Allibone  has  pointed  out)  to  a  curious  book  by  a 
school-teacher  of  Miami  County,  Ohio, — Georgii  Wash- 
ingtonii  Vita,  Francisco  Glass  Conscripta,  a  review  of 
which  by  Professor  Kingsley  is  not  entirely  forgotten  by 
the  antiquaries  in  New  Haven.  His  literary  reputation 
rests  upon  a  narrative  of  the  voyage  of  the  Potomac, 
various  short  articles  on  South  Sea  exploration,  and  some 
nautical  sketches  which  he  wrote  for  the  Knickerbocker 
Magazine.  We  learn  from  his  own  words  that  in  early 
life  he  had  imbibed  a  relish,  perhaps  accidentally,  for 
books  of  voyages  and  travel  when  he  had  not  even  seen 
the  ocean. 

1  Though  a  dweller  in  the  western  forests,"  he  says, 
"  I  could  reason  from  effects  to  causes,  and  needed  only 
the  roughly  sketched  history  of  the  early  settlement  of 
our  country  to  convince  me  that  the  maritime  enterprise 
of  our  ancestors  was  an  important  element  in  the  founda- 
tion of  our  subsequent  power;  and  that  whatever  tended 
to  increase  the  stimulus  to  exertion,  and  extend  the  field 
of  commercial  research,  was  to  add  more  to  our  national 
resources  than  to  discover  mines  of  diamonds,  or  heap  our 
treasuries  with  coined  gold." 

After  much  preliminary  agitation,  Mr.  Reynolds,  on  the 
22d  of  January,  1828,  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Speaker 
of  the  House,  upon  the  subject  of  a  naval  expedition, 
and  he  accompanied  the  letter  with  memorials  from  in- 
fluential persons  in  New  York,  Virginia,  North  Carolina, 
and  South  Carolina.  He  also  gave  in  full  a  preamble  and 
resolution  adopted  by  the  House  of  Delegates  in  Mary- 
land. This  led  to  favorable  expressions  from  the  House 


UNITED   STATES    EXPLORING   EXPEDITION 

Committee  on  Naval  Affairs,  and  from  the  Secretary  of 
the  Navy,  Mr.  Southard,  and  this  all  resulted  in  a  request 
from  the  House  of  Representatives  to  the  President,  that 
he  would  send  "  one  of  our  small  vessels  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean  and  South-  Seas,  to  ascertain  their  true  situation 
and  description." 

Apparently  because  of  the  unwillingness  of  Congress 
to  make  an  adequate  appropriation,  the  final  orders  were 
not  given,  although  much  preliminary  work  was  done, 
including  the  selection,  by  the  Navy  Department,  of  as- 
tronomers, naturalists,  and  others  "  who  were  willing  to 
encounter  the  trials  ' '  proposed.  The  Peacock  was  chosen 
for  the  voyage,  officers  were  designated,  and  orders  were 
given  for  instruments  and  books.  In  the  summer  of 
1828,  Reynolds  visited  the  towns  of  New  England  inter- 
ested in  whaling  and  in  East  India  commerce,  and  col- 
lected from  log-books,  journals,  and  charts,  as  well  as 
from  conversation  with  returned  navigators,  many  signifi- 
cant facts,  which  he  communicated  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy,  as  the  basis  of  future  investigations.  Neverthe- 
less, the  official  proceedings  halted. 

Although  the  persistent  advocate  of  the  scheme  con- 
stantly urged  the  importance  of  protecting  the  whaling 
vessels  of  the  United  States,  he  was  large-minded  enough 
to  advocate  also,  with  energy  and  intelligence,  "  a  naval 
enterprise  or  voyage  of  discovery  to  be  fitted  out  in  the 
best  manner,  with  every  scientific  appliance,  at  the  public 
expense,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  increasing  our  know- 
ledge of  the  Pacific  and  Southern  oceans,  where  our 
commerce  is  now  carried  on  ...  far  beyond  the 
bounds  of  ordinary  protection. ' '  He  says  that  the  friends 
of  his  project  believe  "  that  an  expedition  could  scarcely 
fail  in  making  discoveries  of  some  interest,  by  finding 
new  islands,  or  increasing  our  knowledge  of  those  already 
laid  on  the  maps;  and  that  commerce  might  be  benefited 
by  surveying  the  coasts  frequented  by  our  hardy  fisher- 

47 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

men,  upon  which  they  frequently  suffer  shipwreck,  with 
many  privations  and  loss  of  property."  He  suggests 
that  "  new  channels  might  be  opened  for  commercial 
pursuits,  especially  in  animal  fur, — a  trade  out  of  which 
an  immense  revenue  accrues  to  the  government,  and 
which  greatly  augments  our  national  strength  by  increas- 
ing the  number  of  our  most  efficient  seamen." 

Disappointed  in  his  efforts  with  the  government,  Rey- 
nolds sailed  from  New  York,  in  1829,  for  the  Pacific 
Ocean  in  the  brig  Annawan,  Captain  N.  B.  Palmer,  after 
whom  "  Palmer's  Land  "  was  named  by  the  Russian 
commander  Stanjykowitch.  After  long  journeys  in 
Chili  and  the  regions  southward,  Reynolds  happened  to 
be  in  Valparaiso  when  Commodore  John  Downes  arrived 
at  that  port,  in  the  United  States  frigate  Potomac,  fresh 
from  an  engagement  with  the  Malays  at  Quallah  Battoo 
on  the  coast  of  Sumatra.  The  Commodore  invited 
Reynolds  to  become  his  private  secretary  and  afterward 
to  write  the  history  of  the  voyage  from  its  beginning  in 
1831  until  its  close  in  1834.  The  narrative  of  this  cruise 
appeared  soon  after  the  frigate's  return,  and  its  pages, 
illustrated  by  noteworthy  engravings,  are  still  worth  read- 
ing. Here  and  there  appear  allusions  to  what  the  Ameri- 
can navy  might  do  for  discovery  and  exploration  as  well 
as  for  the  promotion  of  American  commerce.* 

During  the  prolonged  absence  of  Mr.  Reynolds,  there 
was  a  pause  in  the  agitation,  but  it  began  again  as  soon 
as  he  returned  to  this  country.  In  the  winter  of  1834, 
the  East  India  Marine  Society,  of  Salem,  sent  up  a 
memorial  to  Congress,  the  Legislature  of  Rhode  Island 
also  spoke  in  favor  of  the  project,  and  many  other  mani- 

*  The  curious  reader  may  consult  the  Voyage  of  the  Potomac,  by  J.  N. 
Reynolds  (New  York  :  Harpers,  1838),  and  an  interesting  volume  (to  which 
my  attention  was  called  by  Captain  James  S.  Biddle,  U.  S.  N.,  of  Phila- 
delphia) entitled  Address  on  the  Subject  of  a  Surveying  and  Exploring 
Expedition  to  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  South  Seas,  copies  of  which  are  owned 
by  the  Philadelphia  Library  Company  and  Yale  University. 

48 


UNITED   STATES    EXPLORING   EXPEDITION 

festations  of  public  opinion  were  sent  to  Washington. 
At  length  the  urgency  of  ten  years  bore  fruit,  and  on 
March  21,  1836,  the  Naval  Committee  of  the  Senate  re- 
ported a  bill  to  provide  for  an  exploring  expedition, 
which  was  discussed  and  amended  and  finally  passed  by 
both  branches  of  Congress.  It  soon  received  the  Presi- 
dent's approval.  Orders  were  given  to  have  the  proper 
vessels  fitted  out  with  the  least  possible  delay. 

The  history  is  thus  briefly  told  in  a  report  to  the  United 
States  Senate  of  the  Joint  Committee  on  the  Library, 
presented  in  June,  1846,  by  Hon.  James  A.  Pearce  of 
Maryland : 

"  As  early  as  the  year  1827,  memorials  were  addressed 
to  Congress  by  the  inhabitants  of  various  States  in  the 
Union,  praying  that  an  expedition  might  be  fitted  out 
for  the  purpose  of  exploration  and  discovery  in  the 
southern  polar  regions,  and  the  islands  and  coasts  of  the 
Pacific  seas.  Similar  memorials  were  presented  from 
time  to  time;  favorable  reports  were  made,  and  bills 
were  passed  in  one  or  the  other  house  of  Congress;  but 
no  law  on  the  subject  was  enacted  till  the  year  1836. 
Congress  was  then  satisfied  that,  in  the  seas  which  it  was 
proposed  to  explore,  the  whale  fishery  alone  gave  em- 
ployment to  more  than  one-tenth  of  all  our  tonnage, 
manned  by  twelve  thousand  men,  and  requiring  capital 
then  estimated  at  twelve  millions  of  dollars ;  and  that  the 
annual  loss  of  property,  upon  the  islands  and  reefs  not 
laid  down  upon  any  chart,  was  equal  to  the  expense  of 
the  expedition  and  surveys  requested." 

Then  came,  in  the  summer  of  1836,  a  series  of  excel- 
lent suggestions  from  some  of  the  foremost  men  of  the 
country.  Commodore  Ap-Catesby  Jones  spoke  in  strong 
terms  of  Reynolds's  fitness  for  the  voyage.  Professor 
Charles  Anthon  congratulated  him  on  being  appointed 
"  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Expedition."  Caleb 
Cushing  and  James  K.  Paulding  gave  their  approbation 
to  the  project;  Benjamin  Silliman,  James  E.  De  Kay, 

49 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

Joseph  Delafield,  and  Asa  Gray  pointed  out  the  wants 
of  science;  and  Josiah  W.  Gibbs,  John  Pickering,  and 
Charles  Pickering  wrote  in  behalf  of  anthropology  and 
philology.  The  co-operation  of  the  American  Philo- 
sophical Society  in  Philadelphia,  the  East  India  Marine 
Society  in  Salem,  and  the  Lyceum  of  Natural  History 
in  New  York  was  assured.  So  the  plans  were  developed, 
and  yet  innumerable  and  vexatious  obstacles  delayed  the 
equipment  and  departure  of  the  squadron.  Changes  in 
the  command,  changes  in  the  ships,  resignations  from  the 
scientific  corps,  divided  counsels,  and  other  unexpected 
difficulties  were  disheartening.  More  than  once  there  was 
danger  that  the  project  would  be  abandoned,  and  perhaps 
this  would  have  been  the  unfortunate  result  if  the  Presi- 
dent, Martin  Van  Buren,  had  not  been  its  firm  and  con- 
trolling supporter.  More  than  two  years  were  passed  in 
preliminaries.  The  Secretary  of  War,  Joel  R.  Poinsett, 
of  Charleston,  S.  C.,  who  was  greatly  interested  in  the 
establishment  of  a  national  museum  in  Washington ;  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Mahlon  Dickerson ;  and  especially 
his  successor,  James  K.  Paulding  of  New  York,  the  well- 
known  man  of  letters,  had  the  chief  responsibility  for  the 
arrangements.  Albert  Gallatin,  an  authority  in  the  lan- 
guages of  the  North  American  Indians,  compiled  a  vocab- 
ulary as  a  basis  of  inquiry  and  of  comparison  with  the 
tongues  of  primitive  people.  More  noteworthy  still, 
the  renowned  Russian  navigator,  Admiral  Krusenstern, 
who  had  been  to  the  South  Seas  in  the  first  decade  of 
the  century,  to  establish  relations  between  Russia  and  Ja- 
pan, drew  up  a  memorandum  of  desiderata,  having  special 
reference  to  the  completion  of  the  island  hydrography. 

There  was  some  delay  in  securing  the  right  commander. 
Commodore  T.  Ap-Catesby  Jones  (1789-1858)  was  first 
appointed,  but  was  obliged  by  a  severe  illness  to  give  up 
going.  Later  (in  1842)  he  became  Commander  of  the 
Pacific  Squadron.  Captain  (afterward  Rear-Admiral) 

50 


CAPTAIN   CHARLES   WILKES,  COMMANDER 

Francis  H.  Gregory  (1789-1866)  was  then  thought  of, — 
a  man  of  wide  experience  and  great  bravery,  whose  later 
days  were  spent  in  New  Haven.  Captain  (afterward 
Commodore)  Lawrence  Kearney  (1789-1868)  had  the 
subject  under  consideration.  He  was  subsequently  in 
command  of  the  East  India  Squadron,  and  visited  the 
Hawaiian  Islands  in  1843. 

The  final  choice  was  Lieutenant  Charles  Wilkes, 
U.  S.  N.  (1798-1877),  a  native  of  New  York,  then  forty 
years  old, — the  age  at  which  Captain  Cook  set  sail  on  the 
first  of  his  great  voyages,  three  years  less  than  the  age 
of  Bougainville  when  he  left  St.  Malo.  Wilkes  was  a 
brave  and  resolute  man,  studious,  severe,  upright,  with- 
out conciliation,  inclined  to  be  arbitrary  in  minor  matters 
as  well  as  in  those  that  were  important,  often  at  variance 
with  some  of  his  officers,  and  yet,  as  Dana  wrote,  on  the 
whole  "  an  excellent  commander."  "  Perhaps  no  bet- 
ter could  have  been  found  in  the  navy  at  that  time." 
He  was  sincerely  desirous  of  promoting  the  scientific 
objects  of  the  expedition,  and  by  taste  and  education  was 
particularly  interested  in  nautical  astronomy  and  hydro- 
graphy, much  more  than  in  natural  history  or  anthropol- 
ogy. The  hope  of  discovering  an  Antarctic  continent 
fascinated  him,  and  the  distinction  which  was  won  by  the 
expedition  in  that  discovery  and  in  the  survey  of  islands 
and  shores  unknown  was  due  chiefly  to  his  skill,  patience, 
energy,  and  thoroughness.  During  his  previous  residence 
in  Washington  he  had  maintained  a  private  observatory  in 
his  garden,  and  it  is  said  that  this  apparently  laudable 
proceeding  was  stopped  by  some  higher  authority  on  the 
ground  that  a  naval  observatory  was  unconstitutional. 

In  the  civil  war,  nearly  twenty  years  after  the  return 
of  the  expedition,  Wilkes  acquired  a  popular  reputation 
while  in  command  of  the  San  Jacinto  (in  1861),  by  his 
seizure  of  Mason  and  Slidell  from  the  British  packet-boat 
Trent,  when  they  were  crossing  the  Atlantic  as  diplomatic 

51 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

agents  of  the  Southern  Confederacy.  Such  is  fame.  The 
incident  of  an  hour  brought  more  renown  than  four  years 
of  exploration.  Wilkes,  the  bold  navigator,  is  known  to 
a  few;  Wilkes,  the  gallant  captor,  to  every  one.  For 
example,  in  more  than  one  recent  biographical  notice,  his 
expedition  to  the  South  Seas  is  passed  by  with  a  bare 
allusion,  while  his  story  of  the  seizure  of  the  Trent  is 
fully  given.  Wilkes  rose  to  the  rank  of  Rear- Admiral,  and 
died  in  Washington,  February  8,  1877,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-nine. 

Next  to  Wilkes  stood  the  commander  of  the  Peacock, 
Lieutenant  William  L.  Hudson  (1794-1862),  senior  to 
Wilkes  by  four  years  in  life  and  two  years  in  service. 
On  account  of  this  seniority  he  was  at  first  unwilling  to 
accept  an  appointment  under  Wilkes,  but  he  yielded  to 
the  urgency  of  the  government  and  to  the  counsel  of 
Capt.  C.  G.  Ridgeley,  well  known  at  that  time  for  his 
high  sense  of  honor  and  for  his  excellent  judgment. 
During  the  long  voyage,  Captain  Hudson  encountered, 
in  the  Peacock,  extraordinary  dangers, — but  everywhere 
showed  himself  skilful  and  brave.  After  the  second  Ant- 
arctic voyage,  full  of  perils  and  escapes,  Wilkes  placed 
on  record  a  generous  recognition  of  Hudson's  coolness, 
decision,  and  seamanship.  . "  Officers  and  men,"  he  says, 

in  the  perilous  situations  where  they  were  placed,  were 
worthy  of  the  highest  encomiums."  Again,  after  the 
wreck  of  the  Peacock,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia 
River,  the  commander  of  the  squadron  bore  testimony, 
in  his  official  report,  to  the  coolness,  presence  of  mind, 
unremitted  exertions,  and  noble  example  of  Captain 
Hudson,  to  whose  efforts  must  be  attributed  the  safety 
of  all  his  officers  and  men.  He  was  the  last  person  to 
leave  the  wreck,  and  on  his  landing  at  Baker's  Bay  he 
was  received  with  three  hearty  cheers  from  his  officers 
and  crew.*  In  later  life,  Captain  Hudson  was  distin- 

*  C.  Wilkes  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  October  30,  1841. 
52 


CAPTAINS    HUDSON   AND   LONG 

guished  as  the  commander  of  the  Niagara  when  it  was 
engaged  in  the  laying  of  the  Atlantic  cable.  Dana  saw 
much  of  this  officer,  for  he  was  attached  to  the  Peacock 
during  most  of  the  voyage,  and  was  upon  it  at  the  time 
of  its  wreck. 

Lieutenant  (afterward  Captain)  Andrew  K.  Long 
commanded  the  store-ship  Relief,  which  encountered 
great  perils  in  the  Cape  Horn  seas.  Dana  was  tempo- 
rarily on  board  of  the  vessel  at  this  time. 

Lieutenant-Commander  Cadwalader  Ringgold  (1802- 
1867)  (afterward  Rear- Admiral)  was  in  charge  of  the  brig 
Porpoise.  He  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  who  entered  the 
navy  as  a  midshipman  and  saw  active  service  in  the  West 
Indies,  under  Commodore  Porter,  whose  "  mosquito 
fleet  "  had  been  engaged  in  the  suppression  of  piracy. 
He  was  an  active  and  useful  man  upon  the  exploring 
expedition,  and  ten  years  after  its  return  was  placed  in 
command  of  the  North  Pacific  Exploring  Expedition, — 
a  position  that,  from  ill-health,  he  was  soon  obliged  to 
resign. 

The  formation  of  the  scientific  corps  was  no  easy  task. 
I  have  not  ascertained  how  it  happened  that  Dana  came 
to  be  considered  as  a  member, — very  likely  it  was  due 
to  Dr.  Asa  Gray. 

"  In  August,  1836,"  Dana  says,  "  Mr.  J.  N.  Reynolds 
arrived  in  New  Haven  and  consulted  me  in  relation  to 
joining  an  expedition  about  to  be  fitted  up  for  the  Ant- 
arctic seas  and  Pacific  Ocean.  I  gave  no  definite  answer 
at  the  time,  but  soon  after  wrote  from  Utica,  declining 
the  situation.  Afterwards,  on  solicitation  from  Dr.  Asa 
Gray,  who  had  been  selected  as  botanist,  I  concluded  to 
be  a  candidate  for  the  situation  offered." 

In  the  following  January,  a  commission  carne  from  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  appointing  Dana  a  member  of  the 
scientific  corps,  with  a  salary  of  $2500  per  annum,  and 

53 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

one  ration  while  on  duty.  The  pay  would  begin  July  4, 
1837.  He  was  to  be  the  mineralogist  and  geologist. 

Of  course  many  preparations  must  be  made  for  a  jour- 
ney so  prolonged.  Two  or  three  articles,  read  before  the 
Yale  Natural  History  Society,  were  prepared  for  publica- 
tion. The  treatise  on  Mineralogy,  which  was  soon  to 
establish  his  reputation,  was  carried  through  the  press. 
He  arranged  for  the  care  of  his  cabinet  of  minerals,  his 
collection  of  plants,  and  his  books  on  mineralogy,  and,  as 
if  he  were  mindful  that  he  might  never  return,  he  drew 
up  six  pages  of  personal  memoranda  respecting  his  scien- 
tific work  between  1833  and  1837.  Meanwhile  uncertain- 
ties multiplied  respecting  the  organization  and  departure 
of  the  expedition.  "  I  have  been  anxiously  looking  for 
news,"  he  writes  to  his  brother  John,  in  June,  1837, 
"  but  as  yet  nothing  has  come.  When  we  shall  go  is 
as  utterly  unknown  to  me  as  it  is  to  yourself.  Indeed 
there  are  some  floating  reports  and  predictions  that  the 
expedition  will  not  sail  at  all.  But  I  do  not  place  much 
confidence  in  them.  There  has  been  so  much  opposi- 
tion to  the  expedition,  and  so  many  unfavorable  re- 
ports spread  about  by  its  opponents,  that  I  consider  the 
whole  of  them  as  their  fabrication."  This  doubt  con- 
tinued till  the  spring  of  1838.  "  It  is  now  probable  that 
we  shall  not  go  before  August,"  he  writes.  "  Part  of 
the  scientific  corps  will  probably  be  cut  off;  but  there  is 
no  probability  that  I  shall  be  'one  of  the  number."  The 
nearer  the  departure,  the  more  the  excitement  of  prepara- 
tion. 

Frequent  letters  to  Herrick  give  the  details  of  Dana's 
occupations.  For  example,  he  meets  Professor  Joseph 
Henry,  just  returned  from  a  European  tour,  and  he  goes 
to  Philadelphia  for  conference  with  his  scientific  colleagues 
in  respect  to  the  distribution  of  their  duties.  Herrick 
insists  upon  his  watching  for  shooting  stars  at  the  time  of 
their  recurrence  in  November,  and  Dana  watches  on  the 

54 


ATTRACTIONS   OF   THE   SOUTH   SEAS 

roof  of  the  Astor  House,  in  New  York,  sending  a  full 
report  of  what  he  saw  to  his  astronomical  correspondent 
in  New  Haven.  At  one  time  he  writes  that  he  is  detained 
in  New  York  by  his  interest  in  studying  a  parasitic  crusta- 
cean, Argulus,  which  attaches  itself  to  the  body  of  the 
codfish.  Everything  indicates  enthusiasm,  energy,  ver- 
satility, and  patience. 

It  is  evident  that  all  the  powers  of  the  young  naturalist 
were  aroused  by  his  new  opportunities  and  responsibili- 
ties. This  was,  as  every  one  knows,  a  most  interesting 
period  in  the  progress  of  geography,  the  epoch  of  island 
surveys  following  the  epoch  of  early  circumnavigation. 
Great  discoveries  of  continental  coast-lines  and  of  ocean 
archipelagoes  had  been  made  during  the  first  decades  of 
the  century,  so  that  the  cruise  of  the  Vincennes  and  the 
Peacock  would  not  be  in  regions  wholly  undescribed ;  at 
the  same  time,  vast  tracts  of  the  Pacific  were  still  unex- 
plored, more  accurate  information  was  required  in  respect 
to  places  which  had  already  been  visited,  and  there  were 
opportunities  for  unlimited  researches  in  the  animal  and 
vegetable  kingdoms,  and  respecting  the  geology.  The 
suspected  existence  of  an  Antarctic  continent  excited 
boundless  curiosity.  Moreover,  the  island  world  was 
coming  under  Christian  influences  and  European  suprem- 
acy; missionaries  and  traders  were  securing  stations. 
Civilization  had  entered  Oceana.  The  day  had  dawned 
when  travellers  in  search  of  adventures,  invalids  in  quest 
of  health,  and  novelists  seeking  inspiration  were  to  be 
attracted  by  the  charms  of  these  distant  archipelagoes. 
A  writer  like  Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  an  artist  like  La- 
farge,  a  novelist  like  Pierre  Loti,  an  "  American  Loti  " 
like  Charles  W.  Stoddard,  had  not  yet  appeared.  But 
while  the  United  States  Expedition  was  at  sea,  Richard 
H.  Dana,  Jr.,  a  distant  kinsman  of  James  D.  Dana,  had 
uttered  "  a  voice  from  the  forecastle,"  a  narrative  of 
Two  Years  Before  the  Mast,  between  1837  anc*  1839, 

55 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

and  Herman  Melville  had  written  of  his  adventurous  ex- 
periences in  the  Marquesas,  Omoo,  and  Typee,  as  early 
as  1841.  Already  the  statesmen  of  England,  France, 
Russia,  and  the  United  States  were  aware  of  the  commer- 
cial and  strategic  importance  of  the  lands  newly  discov- 
ered between  America  and  Asia,  and  they  were  watching 
each  other's  proceedings  with  anxious  and  jealous  eyes. 
The  opening  of  Japan  to  European  civilization  was 
absolutely  unforeseen.  Nobody  in  his  wildest  dreams 
imagined  that  before  the  end  of  the  century  Pago-Pago 
would  be  a  naval  rendezvous  for  the  American  navy, 
that  Hawaii  would  be  annexed  to  the  United  States, 
and  that  the  flag  of  the  Union  would  float  victoriously 
in  the  Philippines  and  Ladrones. 

About  a  year  before  the  embarkation,  the  anticipated 
distribution  of  scientific  work  was  thus  reported  by  Dana 
to  Herrick  (Philadelphia,  August,  1837): 

'  The  zoologists  have  had  some  difficulties  in  settling 
their  different  departments  among  themselves,  but  the 
disputes  on  this  subject  are  now  about  brought  to  a 
close.  It  has  been  decided  that  entomology,  arachnol- 
ogy,  and  crustaceology  go  to  Mr.  Randall  of  Boston, 
who  is  a  young  man,  not  more  than  twenty-two  or 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  scarcely  bearded,  but  I  be- 
lieve a  good  entomologist.  The  Entomostraca  and 
Hydrachnella  I  have  been  requested  to  attend  to,  and 
probably  I  shall  take  them  under  my  charge.  Mr. 
Couthouy  of  Boston  takes  the  subjects  conchology  and 
actinology ;  Dr.  Coates  of  this  place, comparative  anatomy 
and  entozoa;  Mr.  Peale,  ornithology;  Mr.  Pickering, 
ichthyology  ;  and  Peale  and  Pickering,  mammalogy. 
Dr.  Eights  of  Albany  will  take  the  organic  remains, 
which  I  resigned,  as  it  seemed  to  meet  with  his  wishes, 
and  to  be  desired  by  the  corps.  Dr.  Gray,  you  know, 
is  botanist;  Hale,  philologist;  Darly,  portrait-painter; 
Dray  ton,  draughtsman." 

As  late  as  July,  1838,  uncertainty  rested  on  the  organi- 

56 


THE   SCIENTIFIC   CORPS 

zation  of  the  scientific  work.     Dana  wrote  to  Herrick  from 
Washington : 

'  The  corps  will  consist  of  those  I  named  to  you. 
Randall  in  all  probability  will  not  go ;  and  Hale  may  not. 
You  know  I  had  some  doubts  about  myself  when  I  left 
you  at  New  Haven.  I  have  since  found  that  Gray, 
although  he  has  handed  in  his  resignation,  will  consent 
to  go ;  and  as  this  removes  my  greatest  objection  I  have 
no  reason  for  further  hesitation.  Gray  held  out  for 
some  time  after  arrival  here,  but  was  at  last  persuaded  to 
be  satisfied  with  the  arrangements  and  general  plan  of  the 
expedition." 

In  Julian  Hawthorne's  biography  of  Nathaniel  Haw- 
thorne (vol.  i.,  p.  162)  it  appears  that  the  latter  desired 
to  go  as  ".historiographer." 

The  roster  was  at  last  completed,  and  here  are  the 
names  of  the  savants  and  artists,  and  their  official  desig- 
nations, as  recorded  by  Captain  Wilkes  in  his  final  report. 

On  the  "  Vincennes" 

Charles  Pickering,  Naturalist. 
Joseph  Drayton,  Artist. 

William  D.  Brackenridge,  Assistant,  Botanist. 
John  G.  Brown,  Mathematical  Instrument  Maker. 
John  W.  W.  Dyes,  Assistant  Taxidermist. 

Joseph  P.  Couthouy,  Naturalist.  Left  at  Sydney  and  detached  at  Hon- 
olulu, November,  1840. 

On  the  "Peacock" 
(Wrecked  July  18,  1841) 
James  D.  Dana,  Mineralogist. 
T.  R.  Peale,  Naturalist. 
Horatio  Hale,  Philologist. 
F.  L.  Da\enport,  Interpreter. 

On  the  "Relief" 

William  Rich,  Botanist.  Joined  Peacock  at  Callao  and  Vincennes  at  San 
Francisco. 

Alfred  T.  Agate,  Artist.  Joined  Peacock  at  Callao  and  Vincennes  at 
San  Francisco, 

57 


LIFE    OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

The  names  should  also  be  given  here  of  the  chaplain, 
Rev.  Jared  L.  Elliott,  and  of  those  who  were,  for  differ- 
ent periods,  members  of  the  medical  staff,  viz. :  Drs. 
Edward  Gilchrist,  John  L.  Fox,  J.  S.  Whittle,  J.  F. 
Sickles,  Silas  Holmes,  James  C.  Palmer,  and  C.  T.  Cuil- 
lon.  Dr.  Holmes  had  been  a  classmate  of  Dana's  in  his 
undergraduate  course  at  Yale.  Henry  Eld,  one  of  the 
midshipmen  who  achieved  distinction  in  hydrography, 
was  likewise  from  New  Haven.  Soon  after  the  voyage 
he  became  a  lieutenant,  and  died  in  1850. 

Some  of  Dana's  scientific  colleagues  must  now  be  in- 
troduced to  the  reader.  The  oldest  and  by  far  the  most 
distinguished  of  them  was  Charles  Pickering,  M.D. 
(1805-1878),  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  a  grandson  of  the 
statesman  Timothy  Pickering,  and  a  member  of  the  class 
of  1823  in  Harvard  College,  whose  previous  and  subse- 
quent writings  were  largely  devoted  to  the  geographical 
distribution  of  plants,  animals,  and  men.  For  many  years 
of  his  youth  he  was  an  active  member  of  the  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences  in  Philadelphia.  In  the  prosecu- 
tion of  such  studies,  after  his  return  from  the  South 
Seas,  he  visited  India  and  eastern  Africa.  Dana,  in  one 
of  his  notes,  speaks  of  him  as  "  a  man  of  very  exact 
observation  and  measured  words." 

After  Dr.  Pickering's  death,  in  the  seventy-third  year 
of  his  age,  a  very  remarkable  work  of  his,  to  which  the 
last  sixteen  years  of  his  life  had  been  devoted,  was  pub- 
lished in  Boston,  under  the  supervision  of  Mrs.  Pickering. 
It  is  a  quarto  volume  of  twelve  hundred  pages,  devoted 
to  the  Chronological  History  of  Plants :  Man  s  Record  of 
his  Own  Existence  Illustrated  through  their  Names,  Uses, 
and  Companionship.  It  is  a  monument  of  the  author's 
extraordinary  industry  and  learning.  Even  the  elaborate 
index,  which  renders  useful  this  vast  accumulation  of 
facts,  was  the  work  of  his  own  hand.  As  an  introduction 
to  it,  three  biographical  notices  are  printed,  by  Rev. 

58 


THE   SCIENTIFIC   CORPS 

J.  H.  Morison,  Dr.  W.  S.  W.  Ruschenberger,  and  Profes- 
sor Asa  Gray.  From  the  memoir  last  named  a  citation 
is  here  made. 

'  When  the  United  States  Surveying  and  Exploring 
Expedition  to  the  South  Seas,  which  sailed  under  the 
command  of  then  Lieutenant  Charles  Wilkes,  in  the 
summer  of  1838,  was  first  organized  under  Commodore 
T.  Ap-Catesby  Jones,  about  two  years  before,  Dr.  Pick- 
ering's reputation  was  such  that  he  was  at  once  selected 
as  the  principal  zoologist.  Subsequently,  as  the  plan 
expanded,  others  were  added.  Yet  the  scientific  fame 
of  that  expedition  most  largely  rests  upon  the  collections 
and  the  work  of  Dr.  Pickering  and  his  surviving  associate, 
Professor  Dana;  the  latter  taking,  in  addition  to  the 
geology,  the  corals  and  the  Crustacea, — other  special  de- 
partments of  zoology  being  otherwise  provided  for  by  the 
accession  of  Mr.  Couthouy  and  Mr.  Peale.  Dr.  Picker- 
ing, although  retaining  the  ichthyology,  particularly 
turned  his  attention,  during  the  nearly  four  years'  voy- 
age of  circumnavigation,  to  anthropology,  and  to  the 
study  of  the  geographical  distribution  of  animals  and 
plants ;  to  the  latter  especially,  as  affected  by  or  as  evi- 
dence of  the  operations,  movements,  and  diffusion  of 
the  races  of  man.  To  these,  the  subjects  of  his  pre- 
dilection, and  to  investigations  bearing  upon  them,  all 
his  remaining  life  was  assiduously  devoted.  The  South 
Pacific  Exploring  Expedition  had  visited  various  parts 
of  the  world,  but  it  necessarily  left  out  regions  of  the 
highest  interest  to  the  anthropological  investigator,  those 
occupied  in  early  times  by  the  race  to  which  we  belong, 
and  by  the  peoples  with  which  the  Aryan  race  has  been 
most  in  contact.  Desirous  to  extend  his  personal  ob- 
servations as  far  as  possible,  Dr.  Pickering,  a  year  after 
the  return  of  the  expedition,  and  at  his  own  charges, 
crossed  the  Atlantic,  visited  Egypt,  Arabia,  the  eastern 
part  of  Africa,  and  western  and  northern  India.  Then,  in 
1848,  he  published  his  volume  on  The  Races  of  Man  and 
their  Geographical  Distribution,  being  the  ninth  volume  of 
the  Reports  of  the  Wilkes  Exploring  Expedition.  Some 
time  afterwards  he  prepared,  for  the  fifteenth  volume  of 
this  series,  an  extensive  work  on  The  Geographical  Distri- 

59 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

button  of  Animals  and  Plants.  But,  in  the  course  of  the 
printing,  the  appropriations  by  Congress  intermitted  or 
ceased,  and  the  publication  of  the  results  of  this  cele- 
brated expedition  was  suspended.  Publication  it  could 
hardly  be  called,  for  Congress  printed  only  one  hundred 
copies,  in  a  sumptuous  form,  for  presentation  to  States 
and  foreign  courts;  and  then  the  several  authors  were 
allowed  to  use  the  types  and  copperplates  for  printing 
as  many  copies  as  they  required  and  could  pay  for. 
Under  this  privilege,  Dr.  Pickering  brought  out  in  1854 
a  small  edition  of  the  first  part  of  his  essay, — per- 
haps the  most  important  part, — and  in  1876  a  more 
bulky  portion,  On  Plants  and  Animals  in  their  Wild 
State,  which  is  largely  a  transcript  of  the  note-book 
memoranda  as  jotted  down  at  the  time  of  observation 
or  collection. 

'  We  are  ready  to  agree  with  a  biographer,  who  de- 
clares that  our  associate  was  '  a  living  encyclopaedia  of 
knowledge  ' ;  that  there  never  was  a  naturalist  '  who  had 
made  more  extended  and  minute  original  explorations  ' ; 
and  we  fully  agree  that  '  no  one  ever  had  less  a  passion 
or  a  gift  for  display  ' ;  that  '  he  was  engaged  during  a 
long  life  in  the  profoundest  studies,  asking  neither  fame 
nor  money,  nor  any  other  reward,  but  simply  the  privi- 
lege of  gaining  knowledge  and  of  storing  it  up  in  con- 
venient forms  for  the  service  of  others  ' ;  that  '  the  love 
of  knowledge  was  the  one  passion  of  his  life,'  and  that 
'  he  asked  no  richer  satisfaction  than  to  search  for  it  as 
for  hidden  treasure. '  He  was  singularly  retiring  and  reti- 
cent, very  dry  in  ordinary  intercourse,  but  never  cynical; 
delicate  and  keen  in  perception  and  judgment;  just,  up- 
right, and  exemplary  in  every  relation;  and  to  those 
who  knew  him  well  communicative,  sympathetic,  and 
even  genial.  In  the  voyage  of  circumnavigation  he  was 
the  soul  of  industry  and  a  hardy  explorer.  The  pub- 
lished narrative  of  the  commander  shows  that  he  took  a 
part  in  every  fatiguing  excursion  or  perilous  ascent. 
Perhaps  the  most  singular  peril  (recorded  in  the  narrative) 
was  that  in  which  this  light-framed  man  once  found  him- 
self on  the  Peruvian  Andes,  when  he  was  swooped  upon 
by  a  condor,  evidently  minded  to  carry  off  the  naturalist 
who  was  contemplating  the  magnificent  ornithological 
specimen." 

60 


THE    SCIENTIFIC   CORPS 

Horatio  Hale  (1817-1896)  was  the  philologist  and 
ethnographer  of  the  corps.  He  was  but  twenty-one 
years  old  when  the  corps  was  made  up,  and  graduated  at 
Harvard  College  in  1837,  a  year  before  his  embarkation. 
While  an  undergraduate  he  had  made  his  first  contribu- 
tion to  science  by  publishing  a  small  pamphlet  on  an 
Algonquin  dialect.  He  came  of  a  New  Hampshire 
family,  and  his  mother,  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Hale,  won  distinc- 
tion as  the  writer  of  many  widely  circulated  volumes, 
most  of  them  published  during  her  residence  in  Philadel- 
phia. For  the  last  forty  years  and  more  of  his  life  Mr. 
Hale  resided  in  Clinton,  Ontario,  Canada,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  law.  As  late  as  1893  he  pub- 
lished two  scientific  papers.  Of  his  exploration  report, 
Dr.  Daniel  G.  Brinton,  a  well-known  authority,  says 
that  it 

"  is  filled  with  extremely  valuable  material  relating  to  the 
ethnology  and  dialects  of  the  various  tribes  encountered 
by  the  expedition,  especially  in  Patagonia,  Polynesia, 
Australia,  South  Africa,  and  the  northwest  coast  of 
North  America.  The  grammar  and  comparative  vocabu- 
lary of  the  Polynesian  dialects  are  especially  creditable, 
and  Mr.  Hale's  studies  of  the  migrations  of  the  Polyne- 
sians and  the  peopling  of  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  Ocean 
may  be  justly  said  to  have  laid  the  foundation  for  all 
subsequent  researches  in  that  field.  In  their  main  out- 
lines they  have  stood  the  test  of  later  inquiry,  and  are 
accepted  to-day  by  the  soundest  anthropologists." 

Titian  Ramsey  Peale  of  Philadelphia  was  one  of  three 
brothers,  Titian,  Rembrandt,  and  Raphael,  sons  of 
Charles  W.  Peale,  who  is  well  known  by  his  portraits  of 
Washington.  The  son  was  thirty-eight  years  old  when 
the  squadron  sailed,  and  he  had  already  won  reputation 
from  the  plates  he  had  drawn  in  illustration  of  Bonaparte's 
American  Ornithology.  The  plates  which  are  found  in 
Cassin's  report  on  the  mammalogy  and  ornithology  of 
the  expedition  were  his  work. 

61 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

Respecting  Couthouy  and  Rich,  very  little  information 
has  come  under  my  eye.  Rich  was  the  senior  botanist, 
and  prepared  a  report,  the  title-page  of  which  appears  in 
some  of  the  expedition  bibliographies,  but  the  volume, 
for  some  reason,  appears  to  have  been  suppressed.  J. 
P.  Couthouy  is  mentioned  by  Wilkes  (November,  1840) 
as  having  been  absent  from  the  squadron  on  account  of 
ill-health  for  a  period  of  eleven  months.  During  the 
civil  war  he  entered  the  service  of  the  United  States 
Navy,  was  appointed  Acting  Lieutenant,  commanded  in 
succession  three  vessels,  and  was  shot  on  the  deck  of  his 
vessel,  April  3,  1864.* 

William  D.  Brackenridge,  botanist,  was  born  near  Ayr, 
in  Scotland,  in  1810,  and  died  February  3,  1893,  at 
Govanstown,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Baltimore.  After 
having  been  the  head  gardener  to  Dr.  Neill  of  Edin- 
burgh, he  was  attached,  for  a  time,  to  the  Botanical 
Garden  in  Berlin,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1837,  establishing  himself  in  Philadelphia,  where  his 
merits  attracted  the  attention  of  Mr.  Poinsett  and  se- 
cured for  him  an  appointment  on  the  expedition. 

The  plants  and  seeds  which  he  brought  home  from  the 
South  Seas  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  Botanical  Gardens 
in  Washington.  He  succeeded  Charles  Downing  as 
superintendent  of  the  public  grounds  of  the  Capitol,  and 
laid  out  the  Smithsonian  grounds.  During  the  latter 
part  of  his  life  he  was  highly  esteemed  as  a  florist  and 
landscape-gardener  in  the  place  of  his  residence.  In  a 
special  report  he  described  the  ferns  and  mosses  collected 
by  the  expedition.  Many  of  his  notes  are  now  in  the 
possession  of  his  family. 

The  story  is  told  of  him,  that  on  his  way  from  Mount 
Shasta  to  San  Francisco,  an  alarm  from  the  Indians 
caused  the  party  of  explorers  to  run.  Brackenridge  saw 

*Note  from  Prof.  W.  H.  DalL 
62 


ABSENCE  OF  HERRICK  AND  GRAY 

a  strange-looking  plant,  grabbed  a  clump  of  it,  and  carried 
it  to  camp.  This  was  the  Darlingtonia  Californica. 

Two  men  whose  scientific  and  friendly  companionship 
Dana  greatly  desired  were  absent  from  the  fleet.  One  of 
these  was  Asa  Gray,  even  then  giving  promise  of  the 
high  attainments  and  renown  which  distinguished  him 
throughout  a  long  life.  Dana  knew  him  well,  admired 
and  loved  him.  Gray  had  accepted  the  position  of 
botanist,  but  almost  at  the  last  moment  relinquished  the 
post, — annoyed  by  all  the  delays  that  had  occurred,  and 
induced  by  attractive  proposals  to  remain  at  home. 
Nevertheless  his  name  is  always  associated  with  the  voy- 
age, for  to  him  the  collections  of  plants  were  committed 
at  its  close  for  examination  and  report.  The  other  friend 
was  Edward  C.  Herrick  of  New  Haven,  already  repeatedly 
mentioned, — a  man  of  great  acuteness  and  versatility,  well 
acquainted  with  the  progress  of  many  departments  of 
science,  and  especially  interested  in  entomology  and  in 
such  celestial  phenomena  as  the  aurora,  the  zodiacal 
light,  and  meteoric  showers.  Dr.  W.  T.  Harris,  the 
author  of  Insects  Injurious  to  Vegetation,  once  wrote  ask- 
ing him  to  give  up  his  astronomy  and  "  attend  to  some- 
thing useful,"  the  pursuit  of  entomology.  Dana  and 
Pickering  united  their  efforts  to  secure  an  appointment 
for  Herrick,  and  it  came  at  last,  a  few  days  before  the 
time  appointed  for  sailing,  a  welcome  honor,  but  an  ap- 
pointment that  involved  a  lamentable  disappointment. 
Cruel  fate,  which  hung  over  Herrick's  early  life,  and 
kept  from  distinction  a  man  of  rare  abilities,  prevented 
his  acceptance.  To  arrange  his  affairs  for  so  long  an 
absence  there  was  not  time  enough  in  the  ten  days  that 
intervened  between  the  receipt  of  his  invitation  and  the 
day  fixed  for  the  departure  of  the  squadron.  So  he 
declined,  and  thus  he  lost  the  opportunity  of  his  life. 

The  appointment  of  Lieutenant  Wilkes  was  dated 
March  20,  1838.  Three  months  later,  the  following 

63 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

General  Order  was  issued  by  the  Navy  Department, 
evidently  so  framed  as  to  allay  the  prevalent  apprehen- 
sions that  conquest  was  proposed. 

' ' NAVY  GENERAL  ORDER 

"  The  armament  of  the  Exploring  Expedition  being  adapted  merely  for 
its  necessary  defence,  while  engaged  in  the  examination  and  survey  of  the 
Southern  Ocean,  against  any  attempts  to  disturb  its  operations  by  the  sav- 
age and  warlike  inhabitants  of  those  islands  ;  and  the  objects  which  it  is 
destined  to  promote  being  altogether  scientific  and  useful,  intended  for  the 
benefit  equally  of  the  United  States  and  of  all  commercial  nations  of  the 
world  :  it  is  considered  to  be  entirely  divested  of  all  military  character, 
that  even  in  the  event  of  the  country  being  involved  in  a  war  before  the  re- 
turn of  the  squadron,  its  path  upon  the  ocean  will  be  peaceful  and  its  pur- 
suits respected  by  all  belligerents.  The  President  has  therefore  thought 
proper,  in  assigning  officers  to  the  command  of  this  squadron,  to  depart 
from  the  usual  custom  of  selecting  them  from  the  senior  ranks  of  the  navy 
and  according  to  their  respective  grades  in  the  service,  and  has  appointed 
Lieutenant  Charles  Wilkes  first  officer  to  command  the  Exploring  Expedi- 
tion, and  Lieutenant  William  L.  Hudson  to  command  the  ship  Peacock  and 
to  be  second  officer  of  said  squadron  and  take  command  thereof  in  the 
event  of  the  death  of  the  first  officer,  or  his  disability,  from  accident  or 
sickness,  to  conduct  the  operations  of  the  Expedition. 

"(Signed)  MAHLON  DICKERSON, 

' '  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

"  NAVY  DEPARTMENT,  June  22,  1838." 

The  final  instructions,  drawn  up  by  Mr.  Paulding,  were 
dated  August  n,  1838,  and  just  one  week  later  the 
squadron  sailed  from  Norfolk. 

Hampton  Roads,  the  rendezvous,  has  been  the  scene 
of  many  historic  events, — but  among  them,  this  peaceful 
incident,  the  departure  of  our  first  naval  exploring  ex- 
pedition, should  not  be  forgotten.  Three  weeks  before 
it  sailed,  the  President,  with  the  Secretaries  of  the  Navy 
and  of  War,  visited  the  flag-ship,  and  were  received  with 
all  the  honors, — the  only  occasion  during  the  continuance 
of  Wilkes's  command  when  a  salute  was  fired.  Six  ves- 
sels comprised  the  squadron :  the  Vincennes,  a  sloop-of- 


DEPARTURE   FROM   HAMPTON   ROADS 

war,  of  780  tons,  having  the  accommodations  of  a  small 
frigate;  the  Peacock,  a  sloop-of-war,  of  650  tons;  the 
Porpoise,  a  gun-brig,  of  230  tons;  and  the  Relief,  a  slow- 
going  store-ship.  Besides  these,  two  New  York  pilot- 
boats,  the  Sea-Gull,  of  no  tons,  and  the  Flying-Fish,  of 
96  tons,  were  attached  as  tenders.  Wilkes  took  com- 
mand of  the  Vincennes,  Hudson  of  the  Peacock,  Ringgold 
of  the  Porpoise,  and  passed  midshipmen  Reid  and  Knox 
were  in  charge  of  the  two  tenders.  The  pilot  was  dis- 
missed off  Cape  Henry,  on  Sunday  morning,  August 
iQth,  a  beautiful  day,  the  sea  smooth,  and  the  wind 
light.  All  hands  were  called  to  muster  for  divine  wor- 
ship. The  commander  writes  that  he  was  deeply  im- 
pressed by  the  service  on  the  Vincennes.  It  required,  he 
says,  "  all  the  hope  he  could  muster  to  outweigh  the 
intense  feeling  of  responsibility  that  hung  over  him." 
He  compared  his  lot  to  that  of  one  "  doomed  to  destruc- 
tion." No  doubt  he  remembered  that  Cook  and  Langle 
had  been  murdered,  that  La  P£rouse  and  his  ships  had 
disappeared,  and  that  D'Entrecasteaux,  with  a  third  of 
his  crew,  had  died  at  sea.  He  was  beginning  a  four 
years'  cruise,  which  might  be  successful  and  fortunate  as 
a  whole,  but  was  sure  to  be  chequered  by  peril,  appre- 
hension, and  possibly  by  disaster. 


CHAPTER    VI 

ROUTE   OF   THE   EXPLORERS,   1838-1842 

Narrative  of  the  Cruise — Madeira  and  Rio  de  Janeiro — Dangerous  Passage 
around  Cape  Horn  :  Extreme  Peril — Valparaiso  and  the  Cordilleras — 
The  South  Sea  Islands  :  The  Paumotus,  Society  Islands,  Samoa — Aus- 
tralia— Discovery  of  the  Antarctic  Continent — New  Zealand — The 
Feejee  and  the  Sandwich  Islands — The  Northwest  Coast  of  America — 
Shipwrecked  at  the  Mouth  of  the  Columbia — Crossing  the  Pacific — 
Manila,  Sooloo,  Singapore — Return  Home  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope 
and  St.  Helena — Arrival  in  New  York. 

THE  cruise  was  at  last  begun;  new  perils  and  new 
victories  were  to  come.  Rio  de  Janeiro  was  the 
first  goal, — so  named  in  Paulding's  instructions.  En 
route,  the  effort  was  to  be  made  to  determine  whether 
certain  vigias,  or  shoals,  reported  obstructions  to  naviga- 
tion in  the  Atlantic,  were  really  in  existence.  So  Wilkes 
crossed  the  ocean  to  Madeira  and  anchored  at  Funchal  a 
month  after  leaving  Norfolk.  The  enthusiasm  of  the 
young  explorers,  as  they  looked  upon  the  scenery  and 
vegetation  of  a  semi-tropical  island,  was  genuine  and 
hearty.  A  sketch  of  the  Estroza  Pass  by  the  artist 
Drayton  precedes  Wilkes's  opening  chapter,  and  the 
Curral,  a  great  chasm  of  two  thousand  feet  in  depth,  was 
also  pictured  and  described.  Dana,  with  Hale,  Holmes, 
and  Eld,  went  to  the  east  of  the  island,  beyond  Machico, 
to  examine  the  geology. 

"  I  have  not  space  nor  time,"  says  Dana,  "  to  describe 
the  many  peculiarities  of  Madeira,  and  can  only  say  that 
I  have  spent  the  greater  part  of  two  days  in  riding  over 

66 


THROUGH   THE    ATLANTIC 

mountains  five  thousand  feet  high,  down  their  precipitous 
sides,  into  the  deep  narrow  valleys  they  bound,  and  again 
up  by  a  serpentine  path  often  not  wide  enough  for  more 
than  a  single  horse.  Frequently  as  I  looked  down  the 
steep  precipice  that  bordered  the  road,  a  thousand  feet  or 
more  in  depth,  with  nothing  to  prevent  the  horse  from 
walking  off  and  taking  the  fatal  plunge  but  his  own  good 
knowledge  of  the  roads  and  his  firmness  of  step,  I  could 
not  avoid  shuddering  and  hugged  more  closely  to  the 
wall  of  rock  on  the  other  side." 

A  brief  stay  was  made  at  Porto  Praya  (St.  lago)  in  the 
Cape  Verdes,  and  the  next  rendezvous  was  Rio.  As  the 
Peacock  crossed  the  equator,  there  was  much  of  the  usual 
fun,  especially  because  of  the  ignorance  of  one  of  the 
officers  who  was  now  for  the  first  time  at  sea.  He  was 
made  to  believe  that  the  equator  was  a  visible  line,  and 
expected  to  have  a  sight  of  it  on  passing.  At  Rio  meas- 
ures were  taken  to  make  extensive  and  indispensable 
repairs.  The  Peacock,  which  afterwards  came  to  grief, 
had  already  showed  its  unfitness  for  the  service  on  which 
it  was  entering.  The  supplies,  even  of  flour,  were  found 
to  be  inferior.  The  rigging  was  poor.  Somebody  at 
home,  whose  name  is  lost,  had  been  guilty  of  gross  negli- 
gence; somebody,  doubtless,  of  outrageous  fraud.  Much 
time  was  lost  in  refitting,  and  during  it  some  of  the  staff 
made  a  study  of  the  political  state  of  Brazil,  and  others 
made  excursions.  Dana  was  much  impressed  by  the 
characteristics  of  the  negroes  met  everywhere  through 
the  city. 

"  Although  very  many  of  them  are  slaves,  they  appear 
to  be  a  grade  higher  than  the  negroes  of  our  country. 
This  is  owing  to  the  political  privileges  the  free  blacks 
enjoy.  They  are  equally  entitled  with  the  whites  to  the 
offices  under  government,  and  are  treated  in  every  way 
as  equals.  There  is  nothing  of  that  prejudice  which  color 
excites  with  us,  and  black  and  white  are  seen  mingling 
together  with  only  those  distinctions  of  rank  which  must 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

exist  in  every  state  of  society.  The  consequence  is  that 
all  the  blacks,  even  the  slaves,  have  more  self-respect,  and 
without  losing  in  their  respect  to  their  superiors,  or  sub- 
serviency to  their  employers,  they  seem  to  feel  them- 
selves to  be  men.  The  slaves  have  a  certain  proportion 
of  their  wages  allowed  them,  and  thus  they  are  fre- 
quently enabled  (always  if  they  have  the  disposition)  to 
purchase  their  own  freedom.  This  distinction  between 
the  blacks  of  Brazil  and  those  of  our  own  free  country 
struck  me  forcibly  at  first  sight ;  and  further  observation 
has  only  strengthened  these  opinions.  It  has  equally 
astonished  all  of  us.  There  is  a  great  variety  in  the 
character  of  the  negroes,  depending  on  the  different 
nations  to  which  they  belong.  Some  are  remarkable  for 
their  intelligence,  and  craniologically  approach  the  Euro- 
peans, or  are  quite  equal  to  them ;  while  others  have  the 
usual  features  of  the  blacks  of  our  own  country.  Even 
these,  however,  as  I  have  before  remarked,  are  superior 
to  those  with  us." 

The  squadron  remained  in  Rio  Janeiro  about  six  weeks, 
stopped  a  few  days  at  Rio  Negro,  on  the  northern  con- 
fines of  Patagonia,  and  thence  proceeded  to  double  the 
Cape.  Orange  Harbor  is  on  the  west  side  of  Nassau 
Bay,  a  little  to  the  north  of  the  island  which  has  long 
borne  the  name  of  terror,  Cape  Horn.  Wilkes  had  been 
directed  to  this  safe  retreat  by  the  advice  of  Captain 
King,  R.  N.,  who  sent  him  maps  that  proved  to  be 
trustworthy.  After  a  short  delay,  arrangements  were 
made  to  dispatch  a  portion  of  the  squadron  on  a  recon- 
noitring excursion  into  the  polar  regions.  There  was 
consequently  a  readjustment  of  the  personnel.  The 
Porpoise,  with  Captain  Wilkes  on  board,  and  one  of  the 
schooners,  started  on  a  southern  cruise  along  Weddell's 
track,  while  the  Peacock  and  the  other  schooner  stood 
out  for  the  south  in  a  more  western  longitude.  In  due 
time  Wilkes  returned,  but  without  important  results,  and 
determined  to  renew  his  efforts  in  a  subsequent  year. 

To  spend  the  interval  advantageously,  several  of  the 

68 


PERILS   OF   CAPE   HORN 

corps,  Dana  among  the  number,  were  transferred  tempo- 
rarily to  the  Relief  for  a  cruise  through  the  Straits  of 
Magellan.  The  Vincennes  was  left  in  Nassau  Bay  to 
make  some  surveys  and  instrumental  observations. 
Orders  were  given  to  the  Relief 'to  enter  the  Straits  by 
the  Breakneck  Passage  and  Cockburn  Channel,  which 
opens  to  the  southward  about  three  degrees  west  of  Nas- 
sau Bay,  and  return  by  the  Atlantic  around  Cape  Horn. 
It  was  expected  that  about  two  months  would  be  spent 
by  the  naturalists. 

But  all  these  projects  came  to  naught.  After  beating 
about  at  sea  for  twenty  days,  Commandant  Long  deter- 
mined to  run  in  and  anchor  under  Noir  Island,  which 
King  had  commended  as  an  excellent  harbor.  Here 
they  encountered  a  terrific  gale  lasting  three  days  and 
three  nights,  during  which  the  fate  of  the  ship  and  the 
lives  of  the  passengers  and  crew  hung  in  the  balance. 

Dana's  direful  experience  was  reported  to  the  family 
in  Utica,  and  it  is  easy  to  imagine  the  breathless  atten- 
tion with  which  the  mother  read  aloud  to  the  household 
a  narrative  which  is  still  extant.  Another  letter  was  sent 
to  Robert  Bakewell,  a  valued  friend  in  New  Haven,  and 
it  was  quickly  handed  to  one  anxious  friend  and  another, 
including  the  Sillimans,  Day,  Herrick,  and  Whelpley, 
and  warm  expressions  of  sympathetic  congratulation  on 
his  escape  were  sent  to  the  traveller.  The  letters,  in- 
cluding one  addressed  to  Dr.  Gray,  show  that  the  perils 
of  the  sea,  and  the  escape  from  them,  made  a  deep  im- 
pression on  Dana's  religious  nature. 

From  the  Straits  of  Magellan  northward,  the  Relief 
sailed  for  Valparaiso,  and  arrived  there  April  I4th;  the 
Vincennes  came  on  the  i$th  of  May,  the  Peacock  several 
days  before.  The  pilot-boat  which,  under  its  new  name 
Sea-Gull,  had  acted  as  tender  was  never  seen  after  leaving 
Orange  Bay,  and  the  conclusion  was  ultimately  reached 
that  it  perished  in  a  gale,  and  that  two  promising  passed 

69 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

midshipmen,  James  W.  E.  Reid  of  Florida  and  Frederick 
A.  Bacon  of  Connecticut,  were  lost  with  their  command. 

Valparaiso  presented  the  attractions  of  a  prosperous 
Spanish  capital.  General  Prieto,  the  President  of  Chili, 
was  in  town,  and  three  elegant  balls  were  given  in  his 
honor, — "  surpassing,"  says  Wilkes,  "  any  of  our  own 
fetes  at  home."  All  were  surprised  that  Valparaiso 
could  make  so  brilliant  and  tasteful  a  display  of  beauty 
and  magnificence.  The  recent  victory  of  Yungai  over 
the  Peruvians  caused  much  rejoicing.  One  day  the 
President  was  taken  on  an  aquatic  excursion,  and  on 
passing  the  men-of-war  received  the  customary  salute 
from  all  but  the  Americans.  "  We  could  not  fire  our 
guns  on  account  of  our  chronometers.  On  his  passing, 
however,  the  rigging  was  manned  and  we  gave  him  three 
hearty  cheers,  which  from  their  novelty  delighted  the 
President  and  his  suite."  * 

This  gaiety  was  in  strong  contrast  with  the  experiences 
near  Cape  Horn.  But  the  scientific  corps  was  not  de- 
tained by  it.  The  naturalists  began  their  excursions  even 
before  the  arrival  of  the  commander,  and  when  he  came, 
those  who  could  be  spared  were  allowed  to  visit  Santiago 
and  the  Cordilleras  beyond.  Dana,  we  might  be  sure, 
was  one  of  those  who  were  eager  to  seize  this  opportun- 
ity. Pickering,  Peale,  and  Drayton  went  too.  East  of 
Santiago  they  ascended  the  mountains  to  the  height  of 
10,000  or  11,000  feet,  and  the  range  beyond  appeared  to 
be  about  4000  feet  higher.  In  the  distance,  eighty  miles 
away,  the  snow-peak  Tupongati  was  conspicuous. 

I  have  no  doubt  that  Dana  gave  to  Wilkes  the  account 
of  this  excursion  that  is  printed  in  the  narrative,  for  it 
required  the  eye  of  a  mineralogist  as  well  as  of  a  lover  of 
scenery  to  observe  and  describe  both  the  beauties  of  the 
landscape  and  the  characteristics  of  rocks  and  minerals. 
The  record  reads  that  from  the  highest  point  the  scene 

*  Wilkes,  vol.  i.,  p.  171. 
70 


THE   CORDILLERAS 

was  one  of  grandeur  and  desolation:  mountain  after 
mountain,  separated  by  immense  chasms,  to  the  depth 
of  thousands  of  feet,  and  the  sides  broken  in  the  most 
fantastic  forms  imaginable.  In  these  higher  parts  of  the 
Cordilleras  they  found  a  large  admixture  of  the  jaspery 
aluminous  rock  which  forms  the  base  of  the  finest  por- 
phyries; also  chlorite  in  abundance.  The  rock  likewise 
contains  fine  white  chalcedony  in  irregular  straggling 
masses.  Trachytic  breccia  was  observed  in  various  places. 
The  porphyry  is  of  a  dull  purple  color  rather  lighter  than 
the  red  sandstone  of  the  United  States.  No  traces  of 
cellular  lava  were  seen,  nor  of  other  more  recent  volcanic 
productions.  No  limestone  was  seen  in  the  region 
traversed  by  our  parties, — all  the  lime  used  at  Santiago  is 
obtained  from  sea-shells;  nor  were  any  proper  sedimen- 
tary rocks  seen. 

Nothing  could  be  more  striking  than  the  complete 
silence  that  reigned  everywhere;  not  a  living  thing  ap- 
peared to  their  view.  After  spending  some  time  on  the 
top,  they  began  their  descent ;  and  after  two  hours'  hard 
travelling  they  reached  the  snow-line,  and  passed  the 
night  very  comfortably  in  the  open  air,  with  their  blankets 
and  pillions  or  saddle-cloths.  Fuel  for  a  fire  they  unex- 
pectedly found  in  abundance;  the  Alpinia  umbellifera 
answering  admirably  for  that  purpose,  because  of  the 
quantity  of  resinous  matter  it  contains.  Near  their  camp 
was  the  bank  of  snow  from  which  the  city  has  been  sup- 
plied with  water  for  many  years.  It  covers  several  acres. 

Dana  and  Couthouy  made  another  trip, — to  the  copper- 
mines  of  San  Felipe,  one  hundred  miles  north  of  Valpa- 
raiso. There  they  were  rewarded  with  a  nearer  and  finer 
view  of  the  peak  of  Tupongato. 

Next,  the  squadron  anchored  in  Callao,  the  harbor  of 
Lima  and  chief  port  of  Peru,  which  Wilkes  had  visited 
eighteen  years  before.  There  was  a  saying,  El  que  bebe 
de  la  pila  sequenda  in  Lima, — "  He  that  drinks  of  the 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

fountain  will  not  leave  Lima," — but  the  waters  of  the 
Peruvian  Trevi  had  not  detained  the  commander  on  his 
first  visit,  nor  did  they  now  delay  the  mariners.  One 
party,  with  Pickering  at  the  head,  and  with  Rich,  who 
spoke  Spanish  well,  as  a  member  of  it,  visited  the  Cordil- 
leras for  the  purpose  of  making  botanical  collections. 
They  estimated  the  height  ascended  to  be  15,000  feet, 
and  the  artist  who  went  along  made  a  sketch  of  the 
snowy  peak  La  Vinda,  and  one  of  the  Valley  Banos, 
celebrated  hot  springs, — both  given  among  the  illustra- 
tions of  Wilkes's  narrative.  The  mines  of  Pasco,  13,000 
feet  in  elevation,  and  many  other  interesting  sites,  in- 
cluding the  temple  of  Pachacamac,  were  also  examined 
by  members  of  the  staff. 

Soon,  leaving  the  coast  of  South  America,  the  real  task 
of  the  expedition,  South  Sea  exploration,  began.  Stores 
were  sent  in  advance,  by  the  Relief,  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands  and  to  Sydney,  and  on  the  I3th  of  July  the 
other  vessels  of  the  squadron  were  ordered  to  sail.  The 
commander,  looking  forward  to  relations  with  uncivilized 
and  savage  people,  published  a  general  order  for  the 
guidance  of  his  squadron,  and  then  proceeded  to  the 
Paumotu  group,  or  the  Low  Archipelago  or  Tuomata 
of  some  recent  maps.  Krusenstern  had  advised  this 
course.  In  a  month's  time,  Minerva  Island,  or  Clermont 
Tonnerre,  one  of  the  most  eastern  of  the  group,  was 
reached,  the  first  low  coral  island  that  had  yet  been  seen 
by  the  expedition.  "  It  looked  like  a  fleet  at  anchor," 
says  Wilkes's  narrative,  "  nothing  but  the  trees  appear- 
ing in  the  distance.  On  a  nearer  approach,  the  whole 
white  beach  was  distinctly  seen,  a  narrow  belt  rising  up 
out  of  the  ocean,  the  surf  breaking  on  its  coral  reefs  sur- 
rounding a  lagoon  of  a  beautiful  blue  tint  and  perfectly 
smooth."  The  few  natives  who  were  encountered  gave 
the  explorers  no  welcome.  They  did  not  want  to  be  dis- 
covered. John  Sac,  a  New  Zealander,  who  spoke  the 

72 


ll 


TAHITI 

Tahitian  language,  made  out  their  answer  to  the  friendly 
overtures  of  the  Americans:  "  Go  to  your  own  lands; 
this  belongs  to  us,  and  we  do  not  want  to  have  anything 
to  do  with  you. "  From  island  to  island  went  the  vessels, 
making  careful  measurements,  and  thus  began  those  pro- 
longed studies  of  corals  and  coral  islands  which  gave  re- 
nown to  the  expedition,  and  affected,  in  so  many  ways, 
the  scientific  career  of  Dana. 

The  interest  of  the  voyage  increased  after  leaving  the 
Paumotus,  for  Otaheite,  or  Tahiti,  was  to  be  the  next 
rendezvous, — even  then  an  important  commercial  and 
missionary  station,  though  its  coming  significance,  when 
the  French  should  take  control,  was  not  suspected.  It 
was  on  this  island,  it  will  be  remembered,  that  Cook 
had  observed  the  transit  of  Venus  in  1769.  American, 
British,  and  French  consuls  were  resident  in  Tahiti ;  also 
a  group  of  missionaries,  Rev.  Mr.  Wilson,  then  seventy- 
two  years  old,  among  the  number ;  and  whaling  vessels 
often  came  in  for  supplies.  The  navigators  found  amuse- 
ment in  watching  the  ways  of  the  primitive  islanders. 
For  example,  the  pilot,  called  English  Jim,  said  that  for 
some  days  he  had  "  been  looking  out  for  vessels,  because 
it  had  thundered. ' '  The  natives  pressed  around  the  ships 
in  their  canoes  with  such  prodigious  clamor  that  every- 
body not  a  chief  was  prohibited  from  coming  aboard; 
but  as  everybody  then  claimed  to  be  a  chief,  some  dis- 
tinction was  indispensable,  and  only  the  great  chiefs  were 
admitted.  It  soon  appeared  that  the  object  of  their 
coming  was  to  solicit  the  washing  of  the  linen,  a  preroga- 
tive of  the  queen  and  chiefs.  The  time  of  the  Americans, 
when  it  was  not  taken  up  by  the  duties  of  navigation  and 
exploration,  had  some  alleviations.  Dana  and  others 
ascended  Mount  Aorai,  where  they  had  a  magnificent 
view  and  where  they  settled  negatively  a  question  that 
had  been  raised  as  to  the  existence  on  the  mountain-top 
of  coral  and  screw-shells.  Others  found  amusement  in 

73 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

performing  before  the  natives  and  other  spectators  Schil- 
ler's play,  The  Robbers,  and  in  singing  Jim  Crow.  Wilkes 
and  Hudson  were  distressed  by  the  illicit  trade  in  ardent 
spirits  and  by  their  excessive  use.  Other  gross  immorali- 
ties were  also  obvious,  and  drew  from  the  commander 
well-merited  protests.  During  the  stay  in  Tahiti,  the 
four  harbors,  Matavai,  Papaoa,  Toano,  and  Papieti,  were 
surveyed.  Presently,  the  Vincennes  paid  a  visit  to  the 
beautiful  island,  Eimeo,  where  the  Simpsons  were  estab- 
lished as  missionaries.  It  was  on  this  island  that  a  factory 
for  spinning  cotton  and  weaving  cloth  and  carpets  had 
been  established  by  the  London  Missionary  Society.  It 
did  not  prove  a  success. 

A  little  to  the  north  and  west  of  the  Society  Islands 
lies  the  group  of  which  in  these  days  we  hear  so  much, 
the  Samoan,  or,  as  they  were  called  by  Bougainville, 
their  discoverer,  the  Navigator's  Islands.  After  less  than 
three  weeks  in  Tahiti,  Wilkes  sailed  for  this  group,  which 
he  presently  surveyed  and  mapped  as  he  had  previously 
mapped  Tahiti.  Four  larger  islands,  with  several  islets, 
constitute  the  group.  First  came  Rose  Island,  so  named 
by  Freycinet;  then,  westward,  with  their  aboriginal 
names,  Manua  (and  near  it  Ofoo  and  Oloosinga),  Tutuila, 
Upolu,  and  Savaii.  In  Manua  at  that  time  there  was  a 
disturbance  between  the  missionary  party  and  their  op- 
ponents. In  Oloosinga,  Wilkes  made  a  call  of  ceremony 
upon  the  king,  who  had  retreated  from  Manua  because 
of  the  wars  between  the  Christian  and  the  Devil's  parties. 
Samoan  etiquette  was  rigid,  but  not  familiar  to  the 
American  commander.  The  king  invited  him  to  dinner 
and  made  a  pre-prandial  speech  of  welcome.  Wilkes  was 
requested  to  hand  some  of  the  food  to  the  king  and  to 
his  brother  and  to  others  who  were  pointed  out,  but  un- 
fortunately he  continued  the  task  by  showing  the  same 
courtesy  to  one  of  the  Kanakas,  or  common  people. 
Then  there  was  a  disturbance, — not  serious  or  prolonged. 

74 


SAMOA 

for  it  was  soon  appeased  by  the  commander's  courtesy. 
Having  seen  the  process  of  making  ava,  which  was  not 
appetizing  to  an  American  palate,  he  declined  to  partake 
of  this  popular  drink,  and  received  instead  a  fresh  cocoa- 
nut.  The  whole  story  of  the  dinner  and  the  return  to 
the  Vincennes  is  worth  looking  up  in  Wilkes's  narrative. 

Then  began  the  surveys, — the  Vincennes  taking  Tut- 
uila ;  the  Porpoise,  Savaii ;  Upolu  being  reserved  for  the 
Peacock  and  Flying-Fish.  The  harbor  of  Pago-Pago,  or 
Tutuila,  or  Cuthbert's  Harbor,  is  the  most  notable 
harbor  in  all  the  Polynesian  isles ;  in  shape  like  a  retort, 
surrounded  on  all  sides  by  precipices  eight  or  ten  hundred 
feet  high,  in  which  there  are  but  two  breaks.  Here 
Wilkes  gathered  some  particulars  respecting  the  murder 
of  De  Langle  and  his  comrades  on  the  voyage  of  La 
Perouse.  Here  it  is  that  the  United  States  is  establish- 
ing a  coaling  station. 

The  island  Upolu  (known  also  as  Opoloo,  Ojalava, 
Oahtooha)  includes  the  well-known  bay  and  town  of 
Apia.  This  harbor,  which  lies  on  the  steamer's  route 
from  California  to  New  Zealand,  has  rapidly  increased  in 
importance  since  Germany,  England,  and  the  United 
States  assumed  the  protectorate  of  the  Samoans,  and  is 
now  the  centre  of  English  and  American  interests,  rival- 
ling Tahiti,  where  the  French  are  dominant.  A  recent 
writer  predicts  that  Apia  will  become  a  favorite  winter 
resort  for  the  New  Zealanders  who  are  forced  to  go  north 
for  warmer  weather.  It  was  declared  an  international 
port  in  1890.  A  short  time  previous  (March,  1889,)  oc- 
curred that  fearful  hurricane  which  will  never  be  forgotten 
in  the  annals  of  the  navy. 

Apia  has  still  other  distinctions.  It  was  the  home, 
during  the  last  four  years  of  his  life,  of  that  gifted  writer, 
Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  who  sought,  as  Colvin  says,  to 
find,  the  words  of  vital  aptness  and  animation,  with 
which  to  describe  the  beauties  of  the  enchanted  island, 

75 


LIFE  OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

and  who  has  thus  made  Samoan  life  and  ways  familiar  to 
thousands  of  readers. 

While  the  expedition  was  in  this  region,  the  harbor 
became  the  scene  of  a  remarkable  trial  before  the  native 
chiefs,  a  native  Tavai  having  been  arraigned,  on  Captain 
Hudson's  complaint,  for  the  murder  of  an  American, 
Edward  Cavenaugh  of  New  Bedford.  Wilkes  visited 
Rev.  Mr.  Williams,  the  author  of  Polynesian  missionary 
researches,  and  consulted  with  him  about  the  arrest  of 
a  bloodthirsty  fellow  named  Opotuno,  whose  capture  had 
been  so  desirable  that  the  United  States  government  had 
once  sent  a  ship-of-war  for  that  purpose. 

At  Sagana,  a  call  was  made  upon  the  chief  Malietoa, 
who  was  said  to  bear  "  a  striking  resemblance  to  General 
Jackson."  His  portrait  was  taken,  and  that  of  his  wife 
and  his  daughter  Emma,  by  Agate,  the  artist  of  the 
party.  Dana  and  Couthouy  examined  a  lake  called 
Lauto,  in  the  centre  of  an  extinct  volcano,  two  or  three 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea, — "  Lauto,  untouched  by 
withered  leaf,"  the  scene  of  legend  and  the  home  of 
superstition.  Here,  in  the  shape  of  eels,  dwelt  the  spirits 
of  Samoan  mythology.  The  most  important  occurrence 
during  the  stay  of  the  squadron  was  the  fono,  or  council, 
held  by  the  highest  chiefs  of  the  Malo  party  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  naval  officers  and  the  missionaries,  to  guar- 
antee protection  for  the  American  whale-ships.  Among 
other  satisfactory  conclusions  a  large  reward  was  offered 
for  the  capture  of  Opotuno,  the  renegade  just  mentioned. 

At  the  end  of  a  month  the  ships  weighed  anchor,  hav- 
ing completed  the  surveys  and  accumulated  a  great 
amount  of  information  respecting  the  geology,  the 
natural  products,  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  na- 
tives, their  language,  songs,  and  games.  To  the  mis- 
sionaries the  squadron  was  indebted  in  a  great  degree 
for  the  facilities  that  were  enjoyed  in  learning  the  ways 
of  the  Samoans. 


SYDNEY,  AUSTRALIA 

I  may  have  dwelt  too  long  upon  these  glimpses  of 
Samoa  sixty  years  ago,  and  yet  I  have  not  done  justice 
to  the  interesting  observations  of  the  American  visitors. 
The  word-pictures  and  the  pencil-pictures  by  Wilkes  and 
his  colleagues  are  well  worth  reading  by  those  who  have 
learned  through  the  Vailima  letters  and  the  tropical 
sketches  of  Stevenson  to  take  an  interest  in  the  enchant- 
ing islands.  As  time  goes  on  and  the  ocean  is  traversed 
more  and  more  by  steamers,  it  will  soon  be  an  every-day 
affair  to  meet  with  those  who  have  called  at  Apia  or 
Pago-Pago,  on  the  way  from  San  Francisco  to  Auckland, 
or  from  Honolulu  to  Sydney.  The  islanders  will  lose 
their  distinctive  characteristics,  but  these  early  impres- 
sions of  Samoa,  written  when  the  continental  world  first 
came  prying  into  the  affairs  and  habitations  of  the  island 
world,  will  retain  their  interest  as  long  as  Stevenson's 
writings  are  read,  and  that  will  be  as  long  as  Sir  Walter 
Scott's.* 

From  these  glimpses  of  uncivilized  life  the  Americans 
turned  to  the  British  settlements  of  New  South  Wales, 
preliminary  to  a  second  cruise  in  the  Antarctic  Ocean. 
The  squadron  sailed  on  the  loth  of  November  from 
Apia,  bound  to  Sydney,  where  they  arrived  after  twenty 
days.  The  boldness,  if  not  the  rashness,  of  the  com- 
mander, and  his  skill  or  his  good  fortune  as  a  navigator, 
were  shown  by  his  running  into  the  harbor  without  a  pilot 
and  by  night.  The  people  on  shore  were  astonished  one 
morning  to  find  that  two  American  men-of-war  had  en- 
tered the  port  in  safety,  in  spite  of  the  difficulties  of  the 
channel,  without  being  reported  and  unknown  to  the 

*  "  Somewhere  or  other  about  these  myriads  Samoa  is  concealed,  and 
not  discoverable  on  the  map.  Still,  if  you  wish  to  go  there,  you  will  have 
no  trouble  about  finding  it  if  you  follow  the  directions  given  by  Robert 
Louis  Stevenson  to  Dr.  Conan  Doyle  and  to  Mr.  J.  M.  Barrie. 

"  You  go  to  America,  cross  the  continent  to  San  Francisco,  and  then  it 
is  the  second  turning  to  the  left." — Mark  Twain,  Following  the  Equator. 

77 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

pilots.  Here  they  remained  for  several  weeks,  while 
Wilkes  was  preparing  to  explore  the  polar  ice-fields.  On 
this  forbidding  excursion  he  did  not  plan  to  take  with 
him  the  members  of  the  scientific  corps,  for  "  they  were 
regarded,"  says  Dana,  "  as  a  worse  than  useless  append- 
age." The  observations  which  were  made  in  Australia 
by  Captain  Wilkes,  so  far  as  can  be  discovered  from  his 
narrative,  related  to  the  social  problems  suggested  by  the 
rapidly  increasing  influence  of  British  power.  "  New 
South  Wales,"  he  says,  "  is  known  in  the  United  States 
almost  by  its  name  alone."  He  therefore  gathers  statis- 
tical and  historical  data  from  authoritative  sources, — from 
Sir  George  Gipps,  Bishop  Broughton,  and  Mr.  John 
Blaxland  among  others;  he  looks  into  the  effects  of 
the  penal  colony,  the  condition  of  commerce,  legislation, 
education,  and  religion.  Sydney  then  numbered  some 
24,000  persons,  about  one-fifth  of  the  population  of  New 
South  Wales,  and  it  was  estimated  that  about  one-fourth 
of  this  number  were  convicts.  A  convict  ship  came  in 
while  he  was  there,  but  this  must  have  been  among  the 
last  of  such  arrivals.  With  the  celebrated  disciplinarian, 
Captain  Maconochie,  he  held  many  interviews,  and  the 
prisons  at  Paramatta,  as  well  as  those  at  Sydney,  were 
examined.  He  also  visited  the  astronomical  observatory 
established  by  Sir  Thomas  Brisbane, — and  at  the  time  of 
Wilkes's  visit  in  a  dilapidated  state. 

While  the  commander  was  occupied  in  this  way  and 
with  preparations  for  his  southern  voyage  (especially  im- 
portant because  of  the  bad  condition  of  the  Peacock),  the 
members  of  the  scientific  corps  made  journeys  to  various 
places  distant  from  Sydney.  For  example,  Hale  and 
Agate  went  eighty  miles  northward  to  Hunter  River, 
and  thence  to  Lake  Macquarie,  a  missionary  station 
among  the  aborigines,  the  scene  of  Threlkeld's  labors. 
Another  party,  Dana  among  them,  went  by  steamboat  to 
Newcastle  and  then  to  Maitland,  the  head  of  tide-water 

78 


DISCOVERY  OF   ANTARCTIC   CONTINENT 

on  the  Hunter  River,  and  near  a  site  famous  for  fossils. 
Hale  also  went  to  the  Wellington  Valley,  230  miles  to  the 
northwest  of  Sydney,  where  he  had  an  opportunity  to 
study  the  native  manners,  customs,  and  language.  Peale 
went  into  the  interior  in  the  direction  of  Argyle  and 
brought  back  his  story  of  singular  bird-notes,  especially 
the  quaint  jargon  of  the  laughing  jackass  (Dacelo gigantea). 
He  obtained  with  difficulty  specimens  of  Ornithorhyncus, 
and  he  saw  the  wallaby,  smallest  species  of  kangaroo, 
and  many  opossums.  The  well-known  ornithologist,  Mr. 
Gould,  was  then  studying  the  Australian  humming-birds. 
Dana  made  a  study  of  the  effects  of  earthquakes  and  of 
volcanic  action, — but  none  of  the  party  reached  the  burn- 
ing mountain,  Wingen. 

On  the  26th  of  December, — the  very  day  which  had 
been  fixed,  before  sailing  from  the  United  States,  for  their 
departure, — the  Vincennes,  Peacock,  and  Porpoise  weighed 
anchor  and  stood  down  the  bay.  Dana  and  other  mem- 
bers of  the  scientific  staff  were  left  in  Sydney,  whence 
they  were  to  make  their  way  to  New  Zealand  when  an 
opportunity  offered. 

Wilkes,  in  the  ninth  and  tenth  chapters  of  his  second 
volume,  has  given,  almost  in  the  form  of  a  log-book, 
the  incidents  of  his  romantic  and  exciting  voyage  to  the 
icy  barrier  surrounding  the  South  Pole, — a  voyage  of 
seventy-five  days,  in  going  and  returning.  The  glory  of 
it  was  the  discovery,  on  the  morning  of  the  i6th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1840,  of  land  within  the  Antarctic  Circle.  The 
discovery  was  soon  confirmed  by  other  navigators. 
D'Urville,  the  French  admiral,  a  few  days  later  landed 
on  a  small  point  of  rocks,  which  he  called  Claire  Land, 
and  testified  to  his  belief  in  the  existence  of  a  vast  tract 
of  land.  Ross,  the  English  explorer,  in  the  succeeding 
year  penetrated  to  the  latitude  of  79°  S.,  "  coasted  for 
some  distance  along  a  lofty  country,  and  established  be- 
yond all  cavil  the  correctness  of  our  assertion,"  says 

79 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT    DANA 

Wilkes,  "  that  we  have  discovered,  not  a  range  of  de- 
tached islands,  but  a  vast  continent. ' '  *  All  doubt  regard- 
ing the  reality  of  his  discovery  wore  away  from  the  mind 
of  the  American  explorer  as,  toward  the  close  of  his  cruise 
along  the  icy  barrier,  the  mountains  of  the  Antarctic  con- 
tinent became  familiar  and  of  daily  appearance. 

After  an  absence  of  two  and  a  half  months,  Wilkes 
returned  to  his  base  in  Port  Jackson  (Sydney)  before 
proceeding  to  take  up,  in  New  Zealand,  his  scientific 
colleagues.  The  Peacock  needed  important  repairs.  This 
vessel,  weak  at  the  outset,  had  been  blocked  up  in  the 
polar  ice,  and  was  not  extricated  before  it  had  suffered 
severe  injury.  Under  trying  circumstances  the  captain, 
Hudson,  exhibited  skilful  seamanship  and  received  high 
praise.  He  was  ordered  to  proceed,  after  the  repair  of 
his  vessel,  to  Tongataboo,  while  Wilkes  sailed  for  the  Bay 
of  Islands.  Here  he  found  the  Porpoise  and  the  Flying- 
Fish  at  anchor. 

The  scientific  corps,  Dana  among  them,  had  arrived  a 
month  previously,  February  24th,  having  made  the  pas- 
sage in  the  British  brig  Victoria.  Some  of  them  were 
witnesses  of  the  ceremony  of  treaty-making  between  the 
New  Zealand  chiefs  and  the  representatives  of  the  British 
government.  Little  did  they  suspect  that  in  half  a  cen- 
tury there  would  be  more  than  seven  hundred  thousand 
Europeans  on  these  islands,  and  not  quite  forty  thousand 

*  The  following  note  from  Captain  Wilkes  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
is  worth  reprinting  : 

"  I  lost  no  time  in  preparing  for  Captain  Ross  a  copy  of  the  chart  sent 
you,  of  our  operations  south,  giving  him  all  my  experience  relative  to  the 
weather,  etc.,  well  knowing  that  it  would  be  anticipating  the  wishes  of  the 
President  and  yourself  to  afford  all  and  every  assistance  in  my  power  to  aid 
in  the  furtherance  of  its  objects  and  views,  and  in  some  small  degree  repay 
the  obligations  this  expedition  is  under  to  all  those  who  are  deeply  inter- 
ested in  that  which  Captain  Ross  now  commands,  who  had  himself  afforded 
me  all  the  assistance  in  his  power  while  I  was  engaged  in  procuring  the 
instruments  for  this  expedition." — From  Charles  Wilkes  to  Jas.  K.  Pauld- 
ing,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  April  6,  1840. 

80 


NEW   ZEALAND 

Maoris.  The  following  letter  from  one  of  the  naturalists 
of  the  expedition  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  refers  to 
an  historical  event  of  great  significance,  the  acquisition 
of  New  Zealand  by  Great  Britain. 

JOSEPH  P.   COUTHOUY  TO  J.    K.   PAULDING,  SECRETARY 
OF  THE  NAVY,    MARCH   29,    1840 

"  Before  this  reaches  you,  you  will  doubtless  have  heard 
of  the  occupancy  of  New  Zealand  and  its  dependencies  as 
a  British  colony  under  the  lieut. -governorship  of  Wm. 
Hobson,  Esq.,  R.  N. ;  in  consequence  of  which,  without 
some  understanding  to  the  contrary  with  Great  Britain, 
our  whalers,  outnumbering  those  of  both  England  and 
France  together,  will  be  wholly  cut  off  from  this  lucrative 
field  of  employment.  Although  the  British  government 
affects  to  recognize  the  independence  of  the  native  chiefs, 
in  pursuance  of  the  treaty  stipulation  with  European 
powers,  that  New  Zealand  should  preserve  its  sovereignty 
intact,  yet  it  is  obtaining  possession,  as  fast  as  possible, 
of  their  territories,  by  purchase;  and  no  reasonable  man 
can  doubt  that  in  a  very  short  time  they  will  thus  be  en- 
abled to  lay  claim  to  the  whole  of  both  islands,  as  they 
now  do  to  the  best  portion  of  the  northern  one.  Gover- 
nor Hobson  has  already  gone  so  far  as  to  issue  a  pro- 
clamation stating  that  henceforth  no  purchases  of  land  by 
individuals  from  the  natives  will  be  held  valid  which  do 
not  receive  the  sanction  of  the  crown ;  and,  still  farther, 
that,  in  regard  to  purchases  already  made,  the  crown  will 
decide  what  portion  shall  be  retained  by  the  purchasers. 
I  also  learned  this  morning  from  a  brother  of  Robuluha, 
the  most  powerful  chief  on  the  northern  island,  that  the 
new  government  is  using  every  exertion  to  dissuade  the 
chiefs  from  disposing  of  their  lands  in  future  to  any  one 
but  the  Queen  of  Great  Britain.  The  whalers  here  ex- 
press great  apprehension  lest  the  result  of  these  move- 
ments should  be  their  exclusion  from  any  participation  in 
the  valuable  fisheries  of  the  coast,  and  this,  together  with 
the  interest  which  as  an  American  citizen  I  feel  in  any- 
thing affecting  so  important  a  branch  of  our  national 
industry,  will,  I  hope,  be  a  sufficient  excuse  with  the  De- 
partment for  my  having  alluded  to  the  subject." 

81 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

Chief  Pomare  was  frequently  visited  in  his  pa,  or  strong- 
hold near  the  anchorage,  and  he  occasionally  visited  the 
scientific  corps  at  their  lodgings.  On  one  occasion,  by 
request,  the  natives  favored  the  explorers  with  an  exhibi- 
tion of  a  war-dance,  in  which  three  or  four  hundred  men 
took  part,  in  the  presence  of  their  wives  and  children. 
A  more  grotesque  group,  says  Wilkes,  cannot  well  be 
imagined,  —  dressed,  half  dressed,  or  entirely  naked. 
This  was  followed  by  a  feast-dance,  and  that  with  a  colla- 
tion of  rice  and  sugar  prepared  by  the  American  visitors. 
Notwithstanding  these  diversions,  no  person  in  the 
squadron  felt  any  regret  at  leaving  New  Zealand  (April 
6th),  for  there  was  a  want  of  all  means  of  amusement, 
says  Wilkes,  "  as  well  as  of  any  objects  in  whose  ob- 
servation we  were  interested."  I  can  only  account  for 
this  remark  of  Captain  Wilkes,  and  for  his  speedy  depart- 
ure from  New  Zealand,  by  remembering  that  his  enthu- 
siasm had  been  cooled  by  a  visit  to  the  icy  fringe  of  an 
antarctic  coast.  His  interest  in  the  lands  and  vegeta- 
tion, and  even  in  primitive  humanity,  seems  to  have 
reached  its  lowest  point.  What  a  contrast  the  observa- 
tion of  Froude,  fifty  years  later,  when  English  civilization 
was  completely  established! 

"  In  New  Zealand  there  are  mountain  ranges  grander 
than  the  giant  bergs  of  Norway ;  there  are  sheep-walks 
for  the  future  Melibceus  or  Shepherd  of  Salisbury  Plain ; 
there  are  the  rich  farm-lands  for  the  peasant  yeomen ; 
and  the  coasts,  with  their  inlets  and  infinite  varieties,  are 
a  nursery  for  seamen  who  will  carry  forward  the  traditions 
of  the  old  land.  No  Arden  ever  saw  such  forests,  and  no 
lover  ever  carved  his  mistress's  name  on  such  trees  as  are 
scattered  over  the  northern  island,  while  the  dullest  in- 
tellect quickens  into  awe  and  reverence  amidst  volcanoes 
and  boiling  springs  and  the  mighty  forces  of  nature,  which 
seem  as  if  any  day  they  might  break  their  chains.  Even 
the  Maoris,  a  mere  colony  of  Polynesian  savages,  grow  to 
a  stature  of  mind  and  body  in  New  Zealand  which  no 

82 


TONGA 

branch  of  that  race  has  approached  elsewhere.  If  it  lies 
written  in  the  book  of  destiny  that  the  English  nation 
has  still  within  it  great  men  who  will  take  a  place  among 
the  demigods,  I  can  well  believe  that  it  will  be  in  the  un- 
exhausted soil  and  spiritual  capabilities  of  New  Zealand 
that  the  great  English  poets,  artists,  philosophers,  states- 
men, soldiers,  of  the  future  will  be  born  and  nurtured."  * 

Between  the  days  of  Wilkes  and  Froude  came  those  of 
Bishops  Selwyn  and  Pattison,  and  those  of  Sir  George 
Grey. 

The  Tonga  group  was  next  to  be  visited,  and  accord- 
ingly the  Vincennes,  Porpoise,  and  Flying-Fish  set  sail  on 
the  6th  of  April  from  the  Bay  of  Islands.  On  the  22d, 
Wilkes  made  Eooa  and  Tongataboo, — the  two  southern- 
most of  the  Friendly  Isles  of  Cook ;  and  a  few  days  later 
the  Peacock,  which  had  been  repaired  at  Sydney,  rejoined 
the  other  vessels.  At  Nukualofa,  the  Christian  party 
and  the  Devil's  were  found  to  be  on  the  point  of  hostili- 
ties, and  the  American  commander  proffered  his  services 
to  the  Wesleyan  missionary,  Rev.  Mr.  Tucker,  in  recon- 
ciliation of  the  opponents.  This  led  to  an  extraordinary 
conference  with  "  King  George  "  in  the  hut  of  "  King 
Josiah," — but  the  ambition  of  the  first  named  to  enlarge 
his  dominions  in  Vavao  by  adding  to  them  Tonga  was  an 
insurmountable  obstacle  to  the  arbitration.  The  Ton- 
gese,  who  were  quite  akin  to  the  Samoans  in  appearance 
and  customs,  were  in  many  respects  the  most  attractive 
and  interesting  persons  that  were  seen  in  the  South  Seas. 
A  larger  proportion  of  fine-looking  people,  says  Wilkes, 
is  seldom  to  be  seen  in  any  portion  of  the  globe.  They 
are  of  a  shade  lighter  than  any  of  the  other  islanders ; 
their  countenances  are  generally  of  the  European  cast; 
they  are  tall  and  well  made ;  and  their  muscles  are  well 
developed.  They  are  ingenious  and  industrious;  war- 
like; fond  of  amusement;  and  devoted  to  their  drink, 

*  Froude's  Oceana. 

83 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

ava,  and  to  tobacco.  Strong  attachments  exist  between 
husband  and  wife  and  between  parents  and  children. 
The  troubled  state  of  the  island  prevented  the  Americans 
from  making  the  thorough  examination  that  had  been 
planned ;  nevertheless  much  information  was  collected  in 
respect  to  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  natives,  and 
the  results  of  missionary  labors  among  them;  and  the 
naturalists  did  not  fail  to  study  the  vegetation  and  to 
observe  the  characteristics  of  the  coral  reefs  and  lagoon. 

The  voyage  from  the  Tongan  harbor,  Nukualofa,  to 
Levuka,  on  Ovolau,  in  the  Feejees,  occupied  four  days, — a 
brief  but  dangerous  transit,  for  the  wind  blew  gales  and 
the  charts  were  incomplete  and  erroneous.  The  Feejee 
Islands,  girt  by  white  encircling  reefs,  were  of  a  charming 
aspect, — Ovolau  especially  so,  the  highest,  most  broken, 
and  most  picturesque.  In  all  this  beauty  it  was  hard  to 
bear  in  mind — so  says  the  narrator — that  here  was  the 
abode  of  a  savage,  ferocious,  and  treacherous  race  of  can- 
nibals. Wilkes  carried  his  instruments  ashore,  and  with 
a  party  of  twenty-five  officers  and  naturalists  ascended 
the  peak  Andulong,  where  he  succeeded  in  getting  the 
meridian  altitude.  From  this  summit  a  beautiful  view 
was  obtained  of  the  island,  some  eight  miles  long  by 
seven  in  breadth.  After  descending  he  established  an 
observatory  upon  a  projecting  insulated  point,  and  then 
divided  his  men  into  parties  for  a  survey  of  the  group. 
This  survey  was  one  of  the  most  important  achievements 
of  the  expedition,  and  the  charts  to  which  it  led  have 
been  of  constant  value  ever  since.  The  squadron  re- 
mained in  Feejeean  waters  for  three  months,  and  during 
most  of  the  time  the  four  large  vessels  and  seventeen 
auxiliaries  were  engaged  on  the  hydrography.  The  nat- 
uralists had  fair  opportunities,  but  it  was  not  safe  for 
them  to  penetrate  freely  the  interior  of  the  islands. 

A  study  was  made  of  the  characteristics  of  the  native 
inhabitants,  then  almost  unknown  to  the  civilized  world, 

84 


SANDWICH   OR   HAWAIIAN   ISLANDS 

although  to  some  extent  under  the  instruction  of  mission- 
aries. The  natives  were  reputed  to  be  in  many  respects 
the  most  barbarous  and  savage  race  existing  upon  the  face 
of  the  globe.  Intercourse  with  white  men  had  not  miti- 
gated their  barbarous  ferocity.  Cannibalism,  originally 
a  religious  duty,  had  been  perpetuated  as  a  gratification 
of  the  appetite.  Scenes  of  the  most  horrid  character  were 
described  to  Wilkes  by  the  missionaries  who  had  witnessed 
them. 

The  visit  of  the  American  explorers  ended  with  a 
tragedy.  Just  as  its  operations  were  closed,  Wilkes  re- 
ceived the  distressing  news  that  two  of  his  officers,  Lieu- 
tenant Underwood  and  Midshipman  Wilkes  Henry,  a 
kinsman  and  ward  of  the  commander,  had  been  treacher- 
ously murdered  by  the  natives  of  Malolo.  What  a  con- 
trast between  the  days  of  the  forties  and  those  of  the 
nineties!  In  1861,  the  chief  offered  to  come  under  the 
sovereignty  of  Great  Britain,  and  in  1874  the  British  flag 
was  hoisted  by  Sir  Hercules  Robinson.  There  are  two 
hundred  islets  in  the  group,  and  of  their  200,000  inhabit- 
ants, 121,000  are  now  counted  as  nominally  Christian. 
It  is  a  pity  to  pass  by  the  events  of  this  sojourn  in  such 
a  cursory  manner,  but  they  are  only  incidents  of  a  very 
long  voyage,  which  was  still  predestined  to  other  excite- 
ments and  perils. 

In  the  middle  of  August,  the  squadron,  with  its  work 
well  done,  set  sail  for  the  Sandwich  Islands.  Passing 
Gardner's  Island,  M'Kean's,  and  an  uncharted  island  to 
which  the  name  of  Commodore  Hull  was  given,  Sydney, 
Birnie's,  and  Enderbury's, — all  members  of  the  Phoenix 
group, — the  Vincennes  sighted  Kauai  on  the  2Oth  of  Sep- 
tember, and  Oahu  three  days  later.  On  the  25th,  the 
harbor  of  Honolulu  was  entered.  The  Porpoise,  mean- 
while, had  visited  Natavi  Bay, — the  first  vessel  that  had 
anchored  there;  and  Somusomu,  afterwards  Vatoa  or 
Turtle  Island;  and  Vavao,  the  northernmost  of  the 

85 


LIFE    OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

Friendly  Islands;  reaching  Oahu  on  the  8th  of  Oc- 
tober. 

To  visit  Honolulu  was  even  then  almost  like  reaching 
a  port  of  the  United  States ;  missionaries,  traders,  letters, 
afforded  abundant  information  from  home.  "  Besides," 
says  Wilkes,  "  I  found  some  difficulty  in  being  able  to 
realize  that  I  was  among  a  Polynesian  nation,  so  far  im- 
proved are  they  in  the  ways  of  civilization." 

Three  years  had  now  passed  since  the  enlistment  of  the 
crew.  New  "  articles  "  were  therefore  opened  for  them; 
plans  for  the  next  eighteen  months  were  matured.  Cap- 
tain Hudson,  on  fat  Peacock,  was  to  return  to  the  Samoas, 
verify  certain  surveys,  visit  the  Ellice  and  Kingsmill 
groups,  and  seek  redress  at  Strong  Island  for  the  capture 
of  an  American  vessel;  thence  to  proceed  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Columbia,  visiting  Ascension  Island  on  the  way. 
The  Porpoise,  under  Ringgold,  was  to  examine  some  of 
the  Paumotu  Islands,  touch  at  Tahiti,  survey  Penrhyn's 
and  Flint  Islands,  and  return  to  Oahu. 

With  the  Vincennes,  Wilkes  proposed  to  visit  Hawaii, 
and  after  ascending  Mauna  Loa,  with  his  instruments,  and 
examining  the  craters,  he  meant  to  proceed  to  the  Mar- 
quesas, and  thence  return  to  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  before 
proceeding  to  the  northwest  coast  of  America.  He  did 
not  carry  out  the  Marquesas  plan. 

In  his  narrative,  Wilkes  makes  abundant  comments  on 
the  social  conditions  of  the  Sandwich  Islanders,  and  bears 
his  testimony  to  the  good  influences  of  the  missionaries. 
The  survey  of  the  islands,  and  especially  of  the  two  great 
volcanoes,  Mauna  Loa  and  Mauna  Kea,  twin  giants  of 
the  Pacific,  occupied  much  of  the  commander's  time, 
while  the  naturalists,  divided  into  parties,  were  sent  from 
point  to  point  to  pursue  their  investigations.  Dana's 
observations  are  well  set  forth  in  his  Geology  of  the  Pacific, 
and  in  a  more  accessible  form  in  his  volume  on  Volcanoes. 
After  visiting  Kauai  and  the  eastern  and  northern  coasts 

86 


COLUMBIA    RIVER 

of  Oahu,  he  was  sent  to  Hawaii.  After  landing  in  Kalea- 
keakua  Bay,  he  was  instructed  to  follow  the  line  of  coast 
as  far  as  Apua  and  thence  to  trace  the  eruption  to  the 
volcano,  making  examinations  and  sketches  on  his  route. 
The  Vincennes  and  the  Porpoise  left  the  Hawaiian  Islands 
April  5,  1841,  and  in  twenty-three  days  came  upon  Cape 
Disappointment,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  River, 
and  here  by  a  hair's-breadth  they  escaped  disaster. 
Wilkes  did  not  attempt  to  enter  the  Columbia,  but  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Straits  of  Juan  de  Fuca,  and  anchored  in 
the  Port  Discovery  of  Vancouver.  Admiralty  Inlet  and 
Puget  Sound,  as  well  as  the  Straits,  were  visited.  "  I 
venture  nothing,"  he  writes,  "  in  saying  that  there  is  no 
country  in  the  world  that  possesses  waters  equal  to  these. 
Not  a  shoal  can  interrupt  the  navigation  of  a  seventy-four 
gunship." 

It  is  necessary  to  return  to  the  course  of  the  Peacock 
(which  left  Oahu,  December  2,  1840),  for  Dana  was  still 
on  board  this  vessel.  After  visiting  the  Phoenix  group, 
the  Duke  of  York's  Island,  and  the  Duke  of  Clarence's 
Island,  the  Peacock  came  upon  an  undiscovered  coral 
island,  triangular  in  shape,  eight  miles  in  length  and  four 
in  breadth,  to  which  the  name  of  Bowditch,  the  distin- 
guished American  astronomer  and  student  of  navigation, 
and  the  translator  of  Laplace,  was  given  at  Captain 
Hudson's  request.  The  party  afterwards  revisited  Apia 
and  had  an  interesting  experience  among  the  Samoans. 
On  the  6th  of  March,  they  sailed  from  the  roadstead  of 
Mataatu  for  the  Ellice  and  Kingsmill  groups.  In  these 
uncivilized  countries  they  gathered  much  information 
and  made  important  surveys.  Next,  by  way  of  Hono- 
lulu, they  proceeded  to  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  River. 
'  Upon  this  cruise,"  says  Wilkes,  "  the  Peacock  sailed 
19,000  miles,  was  260  days  at  sea,  and  only  22  in  port." 
Although  they  were  exposed  to  great  vicissitudes  of 
climate,  and  had  but  a  short  allowance,  they  returned  to 

87 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

port  without  a  sick  man  on  board.  The  most  terrible 
disaster  followed.  In  attempting  to  cross  the  bar  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbia,  the  Peacock,  on  the  1 8th  of  July, 
struck  the  shoals,  and  was  beaten  by  the  breakers  and 
completely  wrecked.  All  on  board,  Dana  among  them, 
after  great  perils,  were  rescued  by  the  bravery  of  Captain 
Hudson  and  the  masterly  skill  of  Lieutenant  Emmons. 

After  this  disaster,  Wilkes,  who  had  come  from  Puget 
Sound,  sent  the  Vincennes  to  San  Francisco,  under  Ring- 
gold,  to  survey  the  Sacramento  River,  while  he  remained 
with  a  large  party  to  survey  the  Columbia. 

While  the  vessels  were  on  their  way  to  San  Francisco, 
a  party  of  scientific  men,  under  the  leadership  of  Lieuten- 
ant Emmons,  went  up  the  Willamette  River,  over  the 
dividing  mountains,  and  past  Mount  Shasta  to  the  upper 
waters  of  the  Sacramento,  whence  they  descended  to  the 
bay.  Dana  was  one  of  this  party,  with  Rich  and  Brack- 
enridge,  Peale  and  Agate,  Eld  and  Colvocoressis.  At 
Captain  Suter's,  or  "  New  Helvetia,"  they  were  met  by 
the  launch  of  the  Vincennes  >  in  which  some  of  the  com- 
pany, Dana  among  them,  went  down  the  river,  while  the 
others  proceeded  by  land. 

Not  many  years  after  the  return  of  the  expedition,  the 
discovery  of  gold  in  California  led  to  immigration,  as 
every  one  knows,  and  Captain  Wilkes  was  then  called 
upon  to  prepare  a  monograph  on  Western  America.  His 
maps  of  the  Pacific  coastal  regions  were  introduced  with 
extracts  from  the  observations  of  the  scientific  corps,  and 
especially  those  of  the  geologist  and  mineralogist,  Dana.* 

Yerba  Buena,  in  the  bay  of  San  Francisco,  had  been 
fixed  for  the  rendezvous,  and  here  the  Vincennes  had 
arrived  in  the  middle  of  August,  1841.  Captain  Wilkes 
at  once  endeavored  to  find  the  authorities,  but  authorities 
were  scarce.  The  only  magistrate,  an  alcalde,  was 

*  Western  America.  By  Charles  Wilkes.  Philadelphia,  1849.  I3°  PP- 
8vo. 


SAN   FRANCISCO   IN    1842 

absent.  To  those  who  are  familiar  at  the  end  of  the 
century  with  the  wealth  and  prosperity  of  San  Francisco, 
its  palatial  dwellings,  warehouses,  churches,  libraries, 
schools,  and  institutions  of  learning,  its  aspect  sixty  years 
ago,  under  Spanish  rule,  is  instructive  and  suggestive. 
The  harbor  was  described  by  Wilkes  as  one  of  the  finest, 
if  not  the  very  best  harbor,  in  the  world.  The  magnifi- 
cent tributaries  and  their  attractive  valleys  were  appre- 
ciated, and  the  capacity  of  the  country  for  producing 
wheat,  grapes,  and  cattle  was  well  understood.  But 
city,  there  was  none.  The  store  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  that  of  the  American,  Mr.  Spears,  a  "  saloon," 
a  poop-cabin  of  a  ship  occupied  as  a  dwelling-house,  a 
blacksmith's  shop,  and  a  dilapidated  adobe  building  on 
the  hill  made  up  the  settlement. 

Before  the  end  of  October  all  the  parties  engaged  in 
reconnoitring  had  reassembled  in  San  Francisco,  when 
a  brig  was  bought  to  take  the  place  of  the  lost  Peacock, 
and  named  the  Oregon.  The  squadron  then  sailed  for 
Honolulu  for  the  purpose  of  renewing  the  supplies, — not 
the  least  important  being  clothing  for  those  who  lost  so 
much  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia.  The  stay  in  Hono- 
lulu was  for  ten  days  only.  The  Porpoise  and  its  new 
consort  the  Oregon  were  directed  to  study  the  Japanese 
gulf-stream  and  proceed  through  the  China  Sea  to  Singa- 
pore. On  the  Vincennes,  Wilkes  proceeded  to  Manila, 
intending  to  visit  Strong's  and  Ascension  Islands  on  the 
way,  a  purpose  which  circumstances  obliged  him  to  aban- 
don. He  arrived  at  the  capital  of  the  Philippines  Janu- 
ary 12,  1842. 

The  interest  which  is  now  felt  in  Manila  by  every 
American  gives  flavor  to  the  forgotten  chapter  in  Wilkes's 
fifth  volume  which  sums  up  all  the  data  that  he  could 
there  collect  by  his  own  observations,  and  by  conversation 
with  the  United  States  Vice-Consul,  Josiah  Moore,  and 
Mr.  Sturges.  Three  interesting  engravings,  one  of  the 

89 


LIFE    OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

city,  one  of  a  native  hut  surrounded  with  foliage,  and  a 
third  of  a  group  of  rice-stacks  near  Luzon,  embellish  the 
narrative, — all  sketches  by  the  draughtsman  of  the  ex- 
pedition, Mr.  A.  T.  Agate. 

The  pages  of  Wilkes  contain  a  summary  of  the  events 
in  Spanish  discovery  and  occupation,  and  a  survey  of  the 
mineral  and  agricultural  products  of  the  islands.  "  The 
Philippines,"  says  Wilkes,  "  in  their  capacity  for  com- 
merce, are  certainly  among  the  most  favored  portions  of 
the  globe."  He  describes  interviews  with  the  Spanish 
authorities,  and  visits  to  the  royal  cigar  manufactories 
and  the  manufactories  otflina,  a  fabric  made  from  the  fibre 
of  the  pineapple.  The  manners  and  customs  of  the  Span- 
iards and  natives  are  also  observed ;  and  the  churches  and 
convents  are  noticed. 

Permission  having  been  given  to  the  captain  to  send  a 
party  a  short  distance  into  the  interior,  Messrs.  Sturges, 
Pickering,  Eld,  Rich,  Dana,  and  Brackenridge  left  Manila 
in  carriages  for  Santa  Anna,  where  they  took  bancas  and 
went  on  to  Laguna  de  Bay.  Here  the  party  divided,  the 
three  first  named  proceeding  to  the  mountain  of  Maijai- 
jai,  and  the  other  three  towards  the  volcano  de  Taal, 
which  they  did  not  succeed  in  reaching.  They  did  as- 
cend, but  not  to  the  summit,  Mount  Maquiling. 

From  Manila,  Wilkes  proceeded,  after  a  sojourn  of  nine 
days,  to  the  Sooloo  Sea,  where  he  made  important  sur- 
veys, the  basis  of  improved  charts  that  were  afterwards 
published.  With  the  Sultan,  Mohammed  Damaliel  Kis- 
and,  a  treaty  was  formed, — a  "  treaty  "  it  was  called,  but 
it  is  little  more  than  a  promise  from  the  Sultan  to  protect 
all  vessels  of  the  United  States  that  might  visit  his  do- 
minions. The  paper  is  dated  at  Sohung,  once  called 
"  the  Mecca  of  the  East." 

Here  a  noteworthy  incident  occurred.  The  loss  of 
Dana's  "  bowie-knife  pistol  "  came  very  near  provoking 
hostile  demonstrations.  While  the  party  was  enjoying 

90 


ARRIVAL   IN   NEW   YORK 

the  Sultan's  hospitality,  the  pistol,  which  had  been  for  a 
moment  laid  down  by  the  owner,  disappeared.  Wilkes 
insisted  upon  its  restoration,  and  after  amusing  cere- 
monies on  both  sides,  Dana's  bowie-knife  pistol  was  at 
length  secured  and  the  incident  was  closed.* 

The  mere  suggestion  provokes  a  smile  that  the  "  bowie- 
knife  pistol"  of  peaceful  Professor  Dana  came  near  in- 
volving the  United  States  in  battle. 

The  squadron  next  came  together  in  Singapore, — 
Wilkes  and  the  Vincennes  arriving  there  at  the  end  of 
February,  and  finding  in  the  harbor  the  Porpoise,  Oregon, 
and  Flying-Fish,  which  had  come  in  about  a  month  be- 
fore. The  homeward  route  was  around  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  and  it  included  a  visit  to  Cape  Town,  and  another 
to  St.  Helena.  The  Vincennes  reached  Sandy  Hook,  in 
the  bay  of  New  York,  at  noon,  June  10,  1842. 

I  do  not  feel  sure  that  any  explanation  of  this  long 
record  of  explorations  and  adventures  will  be  called  for 
by  the  reader,  but  if  it  is,  let  me  say  to  him  that  the  wide- 
spread interest  of  our  countrymen,  just  now,  in  everything 
pertinent  to  the  Pacific  has  led  me  to  believe  that  they 
would  be  glad  to  hear  a  forgotten  chapter  of  nautical 
history  which  contributed  much  to  the  glory  of  the 
United  States  Navy  and  influenced  in  a  noteworthy  de- 
gree the  lives  of  at  least  three  distinguished  men  of 
science. 

*  Wilkes,  Narrative,  vol.  v.,  p.  339. 


CHAPTER  VII 
DANA'S  OWN  LETTERS,  1838-1842 

Aspects  of  Nature  in  the  Pacific  Ocean  —  Madeira  —  The  Perils  of  Cape 
Horn  —  Glimpses  of  the  Patagonians  —  Views  of  the  Andes  —  Missions  in 
the  Pacific  —  Impressions  of  Australia  —  The  Antarctic  Discovery  —  The 
Scientific  Work  of  the  Expedition  —  The  Feejee  and  Sandwich  Islands  — 
Discovery  of  Bowditch  Island  —  Loss  of  the  Peacock  —  Feejeeari  Life  — 
Later  Letters  not  Discovered. 


extended  narrative  now  given  was  partly  de- 
1  rived  from  Dana's  correspondence  and  partly  from 
Wilkes's  volumes,  and  yet  the  reader  will  doubtless  wel- 
come a  selection  from  the  ipsissima  verba  of  the  naturalist, 
sometimes  written  to  his  family  and  sometimes  to  his 
scientific  friends.  Many  of  his  letters  have  disappeared, 
but  more  have  been  preserved  than  can  here  be  printed, 
The  same  incidents  are  frequently  described  in  more  than 
one  letter.  The  regulations  of  the  cruise  required  that 
all  notes,  diaries,  and  specimens  made  and  collected  by 
the  officers  and  the  scientific  corps  should  be  surrendered 
to  the  commander;  but  the  only  restriction  upon  corre- 
spondence was  the  injunction  of  reticence  respecting  dis- 
coveries. Even  that  was  relaxed  in  respect  to  the  South 
Polar  expedition. 

In  reading  over  Dana's  accounts  of  what  he  saw  and 
thought,  I  wish  that  he  had  written  a  popular  account  of 
the  voyage.  No  one  could  have  done  it  so  well  as  he  ; 
nobody  can  do  it  now.  He  might  have  written  a  nar- 
rative which  would  have  been  a  companion  volume  to 
Darwin's  Voyage  of  a  Naturalist,  Wallace's  Malayan 

92 


ASPECTS   OF   NATURE 

Archipelago,  and  Humboldt's  Aspects  of  Nature.  We 
can  form  an  impression  of  what  he  might  have  done  by 
perusing,  before  we  proceed  to  the  letters,  a  brilliant 
passage  in  which  he  introduces  to  the  public  his  book  on 
corals  and  coral  islands. 

Dana  s  Memories  of  the  Cruise 

"  Most  agreeable  are  the  memories  of  events,  scenes, 
and  labors  connected  with  the  cruise :  of  companions  in 
travel,  both  naval  and  scientific ;  of  the  living  things  of 
the  sea,  gathered  each  morning  by  the  ship's  side,  and 
made  the  study  of  the  day,  foul  weather  or  fair;  of  coral 
islands  with  their  groves,  and  beautiful  life  above  and 
within  the  waters ;  of  exuberant  forests  on  the  mountain 
islands  of  the  Pacific,  where  the  tree-fern  expands  its 
clusters  of  large  and  graceful  fronds  in  rivalry  with  the 
palm,  and  eager  vines  or  creepers  intertwine  and  festoon 
the  trees,  and  weave  for  them  hangings  of  new  foliage 
and  flowers ;  of  lofty  precipices,  richly  draped,  even  the 
sternest  fronts  made  to  smile  and  be  glad  as  delights  the 
gay  tropics,  and  alive  with  waterfalls,  gliding,  leaping,  or 
plunging,  on  their  way  down  from  the  giddy  heights,  and, 
as  they  go,  playing  out  and  in  amid  the  foliage ;  of  gorges 
explored,  mountains  and  volcanic  cones  climbed,  and  a 
burning  crater  penetrated  a  thousand  feet  down  to  its 
boiling  depths;  and,  finally, — beyond  all  these, — of  man 
emerging  from  the  depths  of  barbarism  through  Christian 
self-denying,  divinely  aided  effort,  and  churches  and 
schoolhouses  standing  as  central  objects  of  interest  and 
influence  in  a  native  village. 

"  On  the  other  hand,  there  were  occasional  events  not 
so  agreeable. 

'  Even  the  beauty  of  natural  objects  had,  at  times,  a 
dark  background.  When,  for  example,  after  a  day  among 
the  corals,  we  came,  the  next  morning,  upon  a  group  of 
Feejee  savages  with  human  bones  to  their  mouths,  finish- 
ing off  the  cannibal  feast  of  the  night ;  and  as  thoughtless 
of  any  impropriety  as  if  the  roast  were  of  wild  game  taken 
the  day  before.  In  fact,  so  it  was. 

Other  regions  gave  us  some  harsh  scenes.     One — that 
of  our  vessel  in  a  tempest,  fast  drifting  toward  the  rocks 

93 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

of  Southern  Fuegia,  and  finding  anchorage  under  Noir 
Island,  but  not  the  hoped-for  shelter  from  either  winds 
or  waves;  the  sea  at  the  time  dashing  up  the  black  cliffs 
two  and  three  hundred  feet,  and  shrouding  in  foam  the 
high  rocky  islets,  half  obscured,  that  stood  about  us ;  the 
cables  dragging  and  clanking  over  the  bottom  ;  one  break- 
ing, then  another,  the  storm  still  raging;  finally,  after 
the  third  day,  near  midnight,  the  last  of  the  four  cables 
giving  way,  amid  a  deluge  of  waters  over  the  careering 
vessel  from  the  breakers  astern,  and  an  instant  of  waiting 
among  all  on  board  for  the  final  crash ;  then,  that  instant 
hardly  passed,  the  loud,  calm  command  of  the  captain, 
the  spring  of  the  men  to  the  yard-arms,  and  soon  the  ship 
again  on  the  dark,  stormy  sea,  with  labyrinths  of  islands, 
and  the  Fuegian  cliffs  to  leeward ;  but,  the  wind  losing 
somewhat  of  its  violence  and  slightly  veering,  the  ship 
making  a  bare  escape  as  the  morning  dawned  with  brighter 
skies. 

"  And  still  another  scene,  more  than  two  years  later, 
on  a  beautiful  Sunday  in  the  summer  of  1841,  when, 
after  a  cruise  of  some  months  through  the  tropics,  we 
were  in  full  expectation  of  soon  landing  joyously  on  the 
shores  of  the  Columbia;  of  the  vessel  suddenly  striking 
bottom ;  then,  other  heavier  blows  on  the  fatal  bar,  and 
a  quivering  and  creaking  among  the  timbers;  the  waters 
rapidly  gaining  in  spite  of  the  pumps,  through  a  long 
night ;  the  morning  come,  our  taking  to  the  boats,  empty- 
handed,  deserting  the  old  craft  that  had  been  a  home  for 
three  eventful  years,  for  '  Cape  Disappointment  ' — a 
name  that  tells  of  other  vessels  here  deceived  and 
wrecked ;  and,  twenty  hours  later,  the  last  vestige  of  the 
'  old  Peacock  '  gone,  her  upper  decks  swept  off  by  the 
waves,  the  hulk  buried  in  the  sands. 

"  But  these  were  only  incidents  of  a  few  hours  in  a 
long  and  always  delightful  cruise." 

Survey  of  the  Island  World  of  the  Pacific 

In  another  mood,  but  in  a  similar  vein,  Dana  thus  de- 
scribes the  characteristics  of  the  island  world  to  which  the 
eye  of  an  explorer  had  been  directed.  The  following 
quotation  is  from  Dana's  Geology  of  the  Pacific. 

94 


THE    ISLAND   WORLD   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

'  Yet  this  small  area  of  land  presents  us  with  moun- 
tains 14,000  feet  in  height ;  volcanoes  of  unrivalled  mag- 
nitude; peaks,  crags,  and  gorges  of  Alpine  boldness. 
And  amid  the  wildness  and  grandeur  of  these  scenes, 
many  of  which  would  well  aid  our  conceptions  of  a  world 
in  ruins,  the  palm,  the  tree-fern,  and  other  tropical  pro- 
ductions flourish  with  singular  luxuriance.  Zoophytes, 
moreover,  spread  the  sea-bottom  near  the  shores  with 
flowers,  and  form  islands  with  groves  of  verdure  above, 
and  coral  gardens  beneath  the  water.  There  is  no  part 
of  the  world  where  rocks,  waterfalls,  and  foliage  are 
displayed  in  greater  variety,  or  where  the  sublime  and 
picturesque  mingle  in  stranger  combinations. 

'  These  statements  may  seem  incredible  to  those  who 
have  traversed  only  the  surface  of  our  own  land ;  yet  it 
will  be  in  some  degree  comprehended  when  the  agencies 
that  have  operated  to  produce  the  results  are  considered : 
— that  through  every  part  there  has  been  the  volcano  to 
build  up  mountains,  and  to  shatter  again  its  structures; 
a  vast  ocean  to  surge  against  exposed  shores;  rapid  de- 
clivities to  give  force  to  descending  torrents;  besides  a 
climate  to  favor  the  coral  shrubbery  of  the  ocean,  and 
bury  in  foliage  the  most  craggy  steeps.  Under  such  cir- 
cumstances, it  is  not  surprising  that  these  ocean  lands 
should  be  replete  with  attractions  alike  to  the  eye  of  taste 
and  of  science. 

'  The  waters  abound  in  fish,  mollusks,  echini,  crabs 
and  other  forms  of  Crustacea,  asterias  or  starfish,  and  the 
variously  colored  actinias  or  sea-flowers;  and  the  fresh 
waters,  although  the  islands  stand  isolated  in  the  ocean, 
have  their  own  species  of  fish,  reptiles,  and  even  Union- 
idee.  Yet  with  all  the  profuseness  of  life,  animal  and 
vegetable,  it  is  a  little  remarkable  that,  besides  bats,  a 
native  land  quadruped  is  not  known  in  the  whole  ocean, 
though  rats  and  mice  from  shipping  are  common  every- 
where. New  Zealand,  although  as  large  as  New  Eng- 
land, cannot  boast  of  a  single  native  species,  excepting 
perhaps  a  mouse  of  doubtful  origin,  and  bats  which  have 
wings  to  aid  them  in  migration. 

"  It  is  obvious  that  the  geology  of  the  Pacific  islands 
embraces  topics  of  the  widest  importance.  There  are 
extensive  rock  formations  in  progress,  proceeding  from 
the  waters  through  the  agency  of  animal  life;  there  are 

95 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

other  formations,  exemplifying  on  a  vast  scale  the  opera- 
tion of  igneous  causes  in  modifying  the  earth's  surface; 
there  are  also  examples  of  denudation  and  disruption, 
commensurate  with  the  magnitude  of  the  mountain  eleva- 
tions. These  three  great  sources  of  change  and  progress 
in  the  earth's  history  are  abundantly  illustrated." 

Dana's  Letters  on  the  Voyage 

From  these  panoramas  of  the  fascinating  scenery  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  which  Dana  so  thoroughly  enjoyed  in  all 
the  freshness  of  his  youth,  and  with  all  the  keenness  of 
his  observant  mind,  we  turn  to  the  files  of  his  letters, 
preserved  by  the  hands  of  friendship  and  affection,  and 
present  the  reader  with  a  selection  of  those  which  have 
the  most  general  interest.  These  letters  are  like  original 
pencil-sketches  by  an  artist,  the  bases  of  future  reflec- 
tions and  studies. 

The  selection  begins  with  letters  to  two  of  his  intimate 
friends  in  New  Haven. 

TO   EDWARD   C.    HERRICK 

"  U.  S.  SLOOP-OF-WAR  Peacock, 
*  OFF  OLD  POINT  COMFORT,  Aug.  14,  1838. 

"  I  am  now  very  snugly  stowed  away  on  board  the  Pea- 
cock in  a  small  stateroom  six  feet  by  seven  and  a  half, 
where  I  am  required  to  keep,  in  addition  to  my  own 
private  stores,  which  are  not  a  little  bulky,  all  the  public 
stores  pertaining  to  my  department.  Just  about  room 
enough  is  left,  between  the  bureau  forward  and  a  large 
box  from  Chilton's  aft,  my  bunk  on  one  side  and  my 
washstand  on  the  other,  to  stand  up  without  touching 
either  of  the  above-mentioned  articles.  Yet  I  feel  that 
our  prospects  are  fine,  that  our  accommodations  are  bet- 
ter than  they  would  have  been  aboard  the  Macedonia, 
where  two  occupied  a  single  stateroom,  and  that  nothing 
is  needed  but  yourself  to  make  it  quite  an  earthly  para- 
dise. Mr.  Hale  and  Mr.  Peale  are  my  scientific  associ- 
ates. Pickering,  Couthouy,  and  Drayton  are  on  the 
Vincennes,  Captain  Wilkes's  vessel,  and  Rich  and  Agate 

96 


MADEIRA 

on  board  the  Relief  under  Lieutenant  Long.  Our  squad- 
ron has  been  increased  by  the  two  pilot-boats  which  were 
purchased  at  New  York,  and  we  are  now  ready  for  sea. 
We  shall  probably  sail  to-morrow." 

~  TO   EDWARD   C.    HERRICK 

"  Rio  JANEIRO,  Nov.  22,  1838. 

"  Our  passage  to  Madeira  was  of  thirty  days'  length. 
On  the  morning  of  the  i/th  of  September  we  first  had  a 
view  of  her  rocky  heights.  They  appeared  to  rise  on  all 
sides  directly  from  the  water's  edge,  and  reached  their 
greatest  altitude,  about  6000  feet,  a  little  to  the  east  of 
the  centre  of  the  island.  The  distant  view,  though  grand 
and  imposing,  is  peculiarly  dark  and  gloomy,  and  not  till 
we  had  made  our  way  close  under  the  land  could  we  dis- 
cover the  green  patches  which  are  everywhere  scattered 
over  the  dark  soil,  even  to  the  tops  of  the  highest  peaks. 
The  mountain  verdure  was  afterwards  found  to  be  due  to 
groves  of  heath  and  broom,  which  instead  of  the  low  shrub 
of  Europe  aspire  to  the  stature  of  forest  trees,  for  the 
broom  was  observed  with  a  height  of  fifteen  feet,  and  the 
heath  attained  fully  double  that  height  and  a  diameter  of 
two  and  a  half  feet.  In  addition  to  these  groves,  the 
terraced  acclivities  covered  with  a  luxuriant  vegetation, 
in  some  places  running  almost  to  the  tops  of  the  moun- 
tains, change  its  distant  barren  aspect  into  one  of  extreme 
fertility  and  beauty.  The  most  striking  peculiarity  of 
the  mountain  scenery  consists  in  the  jagged  outline  of 
the  ridges,  the  rudely  shaped  towers  and  sharp,  angular 
pyramids  of  rock  which  appear  elevated  on  the  sides  and 
tops  of  the  highest  peaks,  and  the  deep,  precipitous  gorges 
which  cut  through  the  highest  mountains  almost  to  their 
bases.  The  whole  is  quite  in  character  with  the  volcanic 
nature  of  the  rocks.  I  amused  myself  with  rambling 
among  these  rocks  during  a  short  stay  of  a  week  at  the 
island  and  found  much  that  was  interesting  in  its  geology 
and  magnificent  in  its  scenery.  The  island  is  certainly 
deserving  of  all  the  encomiums  that  have  been  bestowed 
on  it.  I  will  not  trouble  you  any  further  with  descrip- 
tions, as  you  will  find  them  in  the  numerous  volumes  of 
travellers  who  have  visited  the  island.  We  left  Madeira 
on  the  24th,  and  on  the  5th  of  October  made  the  islands 

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LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

Bonavista,  Mayo,  and  St.  lago  of  the  Cape  Verde  group, 
and  on  the  following  day  entered  the  harbor  of  Porto 
Praya  in  the  last.  The  town  of  Porto  Praya,  situated  at 
the  head  of  the  harbor,  presents  nothing  pleasing  even 
in  the  distant  view,  and  on  visiting  it  I  found  it  the  most 
degraded  place  I  had  ever  seen.  By  far  the  majority  of 
the  population  are  African.  The  one-storied  hovels  in 
which  they  live,  their  disgusting  personal  appearance, 
and  no  less  displeasing  manners,  and  little  virtue,  all 
make  a  picture  as  dark  as  the  color  of  their  faces.  And 
their  island  does  not  relieve  the  dark  shades  in  the 
picture  by  compensating  beauty  or  fertility.  We  visited 
it  in  its  most  favorable  condition  just  after  its  three 
months'  rain,  when  the  barren  plain  was  covered  with 
some  little  verdure.  During  the  rest  of  the  year  it  is 
like  an  arid  desert;  the  soil  becomes  baked  and  every 
blade  of  grass  dried  up.  A  few  date-palms  and  cocoanut 
trees  are  seen  on  the  island,  but  these  trees,  in  their 
scanty  foliage,  a  mere  tuft  of  leaves  at  the  extremity, 
rather  comport  with  the  general  aridity  of  the  scene  than 
relieve  its  monotony.  We  were  only  a  few  hours  ashore, 
and  those  few  hours  were  almost  like  minutes.  The 
next  morning  we  set  sail  for  Rio. 

"  Our  passage  from  the  Cape  Verdes  here  has  been  a 
very  long  one,  owing  mostly  to  frequent  calms  in  the 
equatorial  regions  and  our  fruitless  search  for  shoals. 
We  had,  however,  delightful  weather,  and  as  I  have 
found  sufficient  occupation  I  have  not  passed  a  weari- 
some day.  As  I  began  to  tell  you  on  the  preceding 
page,  I  commenced  after  leaving  these  islands  the  ex- 
amination of  the  minute  Crustacea — species  of  cyclops 
mostly — which  abound  in  the  ocean  especially  in  tropical 
latitudes,  and  instead  of  the  few  species  I  expected  to 
find,  I  obtained,  figured,  and  described  seventy-five  dis- 
tinct species,  all  of  which  are  undoubtedly  new,  besides 
twenty  species  of  other  Crustacea.  The  ocean  contains 
yet  more  new  things  than  either  philosophy  or  science 
has  hitherto  dreamed  of.  I  should  like  to  talk  longer  on 
this  subject,  for  I  have  great  confidence  that  much  that 
is  new,  astonishingly  so,  will  be  brought  to  light." 

Doubling  the  Cape  "  has  always  been  a  period  of  risk 
and  usually  of  danger.     Dana  in  all  his  experiences  on  the 


CAPE   HORN 

Mediterranean  and  the  Atlantic  had  never  encountered 
such  dangers  as  those  described,  in  the  following  narra- 
tive, just  after  the  excitements  were  over. 

TO   ROBERT   BAKEWELL 

The  Perils  of  Cape  Horn 

"  OFF  TIERRA  DEL  FUEGO,  March  24,  1839. 

"  We  left  Nassau  Bay  on  the  2/th  ult.,  expecting  in 
the  course  of  two  or  three  days  to  be  within  the  Straits, 
scarcely  two  hundred  miles  to  the  westward.  Nineteen 
days  elapsed,  and  we  had  run  more  than  fifteen  hundred 
miles ;  yet  were  no  nearer  the  passage  than  on  the  day  we 
started.  We  had  experienced  a  succession  of  violent 
gales,  rendering  it  hazardous  to  approach  within  sight  of 
the  coast.  In  one  attempt  to  reach  the  entrance  of  the 
channel,  we  just  made  the  land,  when  a  gale  set  in  which 
compelled  us  to  leave  it  again  with  all  possible  haste. 
On  Saturday  evening,  the  I5th  inst.,  we  put  about  again 
for  the  straits,  having  reached  longitude  77°  30'  W.,  and 
thus  made  westing  enough  to  run  in  with  the  prevalent 
westerly  breezes.  On  Monday  morning  the  wind  con- 
tinued fair,  and  we  promised  ourselves,  before  the  close 
of  another  day,  fine  sport  among  the  guanacos,  birds, 
and  fish  of  the  Straits,  and  an  agreeable  change  in  our 
bill  of  fare,  long  since  reduced  to  the  ship's  allowance  of 
salt  beef  and  pork.  As  the  morning  advanced  the  wind 
freshened;  and  towards  noon  it  increased  to  a  gale  far 
exceeding  anything  before  experienced.  The  winds 
howled  through  the  rigging  with  almost  deafening  vio- 
lence, and  the  waves  were  already  lashed  into  foam  by  the 
raging  tempest.  The  cold  wintry  blasts  were  accom- 
panied with  a  driving  sleet  or  hail,  and  the  gloominess  of 
the  scene  was  still  further  enhanced  by  a  dense  haze  which 
confined  our  prospect  to  the  mountain  waves  immediately 
about  us.  We  dashed  on,  plunging  through  the  waves 
or  staggering  over  them,  and  occasionally  enveloped  by 
their  foaming  tops,  with  no  change  except  such  as  pro- 
ceeded from  the  increasing  intensity  of  the  gale,  till  3 
P.M.,  when  we  were  alarmed  by  the  cry  of  '  Breakers 
under  the  bows! '  A  short  distance  ahead  stood  majes- 

99 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

tically  the  black  Tower  rocks,  rude  towers  of  naked  rock, 
one  to  two  hundred  feet  in  height.  The  heavy  surges  of 
the  southern  ocean  rolled  in  against  the  rocks  with  fright- 
ful roar  and  tumult,  and  now  and  then  dashed  the  spray 
over  their  summits,  veiling  them  in  a  sheet  of  foam,  which 
soon  disappeared,  forming  white,  thready  torrents  down 
the  black  rocks.  Again  the  cry  was  heard,  'Breakers  on 
the  lee  bow  !  '  and  we  turned  a  hasty  glance  towards  our 
new  dangers.  A  cliff,  black  and  drear,  was  dimly  dis- 
cerned through  the  haze,  and  more  distinctly,  at  its  base, 
a  line  of  heavy  breakers.  The  ship  was  immediately  put 
about  and  all  possible  efforts  made  to  regain  the  open  sea 
to  the  southward.  But  we  made  no  headway  against  the 
sea  and  wind,  and  rapidly  drifted  towards  the  rocks  we 
would  avoid.  As  a  last  resort  we  again  put  the  ship 
about,  and,  with  the  Tower  rocks  on  one  side  and  Noir 
Island  on  the  other,  ran  for  an  anchorage  under  the  lee 
of  the  latter.  The  roadstead  was  small  and  the  winds 
were  increasing  in  violence,  endangering  our  masts  and 
sails ;  it  seemed  hoping  against  hope — yet  we  hoped ; 
and  in  the  course  of  another  half-hour,  every  countenance 
was  brightened  and  every  heart  gladdened  by  seeing  our 
anchor  safely  down  and  our  ship  comparatively  quiet. 
We  could  not  but  admire  the  coolness  and  judgment  of 
Captain  Long,  who,  through  the  whole,  was  seated  on 
the  foreyard,  giving  his  orders  as  quietly  and  deliberately 
as  in  more  peaceful  times;  but  whatever  may  be  imputed 
to  him,  we  all  felt  grateful  to  One  above,  who  rules  the 
raging  of  the  sea,  for  His  safe  guidance  through  the  perils 
of  the  day. 

"  During  the  ensuing  night  we  lay  in  eighteen  fathoms 
water,  with  two  bow  anchors  down  and  about  two  fathoms 
of  cable  to  each.  The  wind  in  part  subsided,  but  blew 
occasionally  in  severe  gusts,  which  carried  some  fears  of 
our  anchors  dragging.  The  following  morning  the  wind 
had  much  abated,  and  we  talked  of  a  ramble  on  shore  as 
soon  as  the  sea  should  go  down ;  but  towards  noon  the 
wind  increased  again  and  for  further  security  we  let  go  a 
third  anchor.  Before  night  it  blew  a  gale  with  occasional 
squalls  of  extreme  violence,  and  being  but  imperfectly 
protected  from  the  heavy  seas,  and  hardly  at  all  from  the 
winds  which  veered  around  to  the  southward,  all  our  ap- 
prehensions were  again  aroused.  A  fourth  anchor  was 

100 


CAPE  HORN 

dropped,  but  it  fell  on  a  rocky  bottom,  and  was  useless. 
The  lead  was  often  thrown  to  ascertain  by  the  soundings 
whether  we  yet  dragged.  A  heavy  Cape  Horn  sea  was 
now  setting  into  the  harbor,  and  as  the  ship  reared  and 
plunged  with  each  passing  wave  we  feared  that  every 
lurch  would  snap  the  cables  or  drag  our  anchors.  Our 
fears  were  too  well  grounded ;  the  fact  was  evident  by  5 
P.M.  that  she  had  dragged.  We  still  hoped  that  the  wind 
would  soon  abate  and  thus,  in  part,  quieted  our  fears. 
But  the  night  was  one  of  great  anxiety — most  dismally 
dark  with  frequent  squalls  of  hail  and  rain.  At  one  time 
the  wreck  of  the  vessel  appeared  inevitable.  The  wind 
came  out  from  the  southeast,  blowing  in  upon  the  land 
and  setting  in  towards  a  long  reef  mostly  concealed  by 
heavy  breakers.  Had  we  dragged  but  little,  or  parted 
our  cables,  the  ship  at  a  single  crash  would  have  been  in 
pieces  among  the  rocks.  Our  situation  would  have  been 
little  less  critical  had  the  winds  favored  our  getting  out 
to  sea  upon  the  parting  of  the  cables.  The  ocean  a  few 
miles  to  leeward  was  literally  sprinkled  with  rocky  islets, 
and  guided  by  the  furies  of  a  tempest  we  should  have 
hoped  in  vain,  in  midnight  darkness,  to  have  threaded 
our  way  among  them,  or  even  in  the  misty  light  of  the 
day  just  passed.  So  profusely  were  these  rocks  strewed 
over  this  region  that  a  part  has  been  named  the  Milky 
Way,  in  allusion  to  the  countless  stars  in  the  celestial 
Milky  Way.  The  Furies  and  Jupiter  rocks  are  similar 
clusters;  and  together  they  make  a  continuous  line  of 
dangers  off  the  whole  southwest  shores  of  Tierra  del 
Fuego. 

'  There  were  few,  if  any,  on  board  who  did  not  have 
some  anxious  thoughts  about  the  chances  and  means  of 
getting  ashore,  in  case  the  vessel  should  strike.  There 
was  little  ground,  however,  for  the  faintest  hope  of  life 
in  this  event ;  the  cold  waters  would  have  benumbed  the 
most  vigorous;  and  if  perchance  one  or  two  had  reached 
the  shores  they  would  have  met  a  more  miserable  death 
by  being  dashed  among  the  rocks,  or  by  starvation  upon 
these  bleak  and  barren  lands, — his  the  happiest  lot  who 
was  soonest  dead.  To  avoid  all  disquietude  when  death 
comes  so  near  is  scarcely  possible;  but,  thanks  to  the 
saving  grace  of  our  dear  Redeemer,  I  looked  with  little 
dread  on  its  approach.  I  committed  myself  to  the  care 

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LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

of  our  Heavenly  Father  and  retired  to  rest.  It  was  a 
night,  however,  of  broken  slumbers. 

"  We  hailed  with  delight  and  gratitude  the  dawn  of 
the  approaching  day.  The  wind,  however,  continued  its 
dreadful  howlings,  and,  to  increase  our  fears,  one  of  our 
anchors  was  gone.  The  men,  with  deathlike  stillness  and 
a  measured  tread,  as  if  marching  to  their  own  graves, 
walked  in  the  cable :  it  had  separated  at  the  anchor  ring. 
Another,  one  of  our  stern  anchors,  parted  in  the  after- 
noon ;  the  work  of  death  seemed  to  be  in  rapid  progress. 
We  were  left  with  our  bow  anchor  and  one  stern,  the 
latter  useless  as  already  explained,  the  former  our  only 
dependence. — No — not  our  only  dependence,  for  a  God 
that  heard  prayer  still  ruled,  and  the  feeling  pervaded  the 
ship  that  in  Him  was  our  only  safety.  True,  it  is  so  at 
all  times — but  how  slow  are  we  to  think  and  feel  it ! 

"  Night  came  on  again, — and  such  a  night!  Early  in 
the  evening  the  winds  blew  with  fresh  violence,  and  every 
pitch  of  the  ship  was  feared  as  the  last.  How  anxiously 
we  followed  her  motion  down  as  she  plunged  her  head 
into  the  water,  and  then  watched  her  rising  from  those 
depths,  until  with  a  sudden  start  she  gained  the  summit 
of  the  wave,  and  reeled  and  quivered  at  the  length  of  her 
straightened  cable !  The  anchor  dragged  more  or  less  at 
each  of  these  heavy  lurches,  and  the  cable  rumbled  like 
distant  thunder  upon  the  rocky  bottom, — it  still  rings  in 
my  ears.  Towards  9  P.M.  our  hopes  were  fast  fading — it 
was  evident  our  anchors  must  soon  yield ;  and  in  expecta- 
tion of  it,  the  crew,  who  had  stood  in  readiness  to  jump 
at  the  moment,  were  ordered  on  deck  to  wait  the  event. 
The  rumbling  of  the  dragging  chains  became  louder  and 
more  frequent  till  at  last  it  was  almost  an  incessant  peal — 
announcing  that  the  dreaded  crisis  was  fast  approaching. 
We  dragged  on,  and  as  the  wind  slightly  favored  us,  we 
bid  fair  to  escape  the  point  of  Noir  Island  and  find  our 
grave  among  the  Fury  rocks;  but  when  off  the  point  the 
veering  wind  drifted  us  to  within  half  the  ship's  length 
of  the  rocks.  It  was  an  anxious  moment.  We  were 
already  in  the  breakers  that  swept  over  the  reef :  the  ship 
rose  and  fell  a  few  times  with  the  swell,  and  then  rose 
and  careened  as  if  half  mad  :  her  decks  were  deluged  with 
the  sweeping  waves,  which  poured  in  torrents  down  the 
hatches.  At  this  moment,  with  a  sudden  spring,  she 

102 


PATAGONIANS 

broke  loose  from  her  fastenings ;  and  as  the  wind  hauled 
back  a  little  she  cleared  the  point  and  hastened  out  to 
sea,  sounding  a  dirge  with  her  dragging  chains.  The 
cables  were  instantly  slipped,  and  the  men  at  the  order 
sprang  to  the  yards  and  loosed  sail.  A  sandbeach  con- 
venient for  beaching  the  vessel  would  have  been  hailed 
with  joy:  but  a  merciful  God  had  planned  it  otherwise. 
Providentially,  the  clouds  had  dispersed  during  the  last 
hour  and  a  starlight  sky  favored  us.  The  storm  also 
began  to  abate  and  the  winds  to  veer  to  a  more  favorable 
direction.  We  succeeded  in  rounding  the  southern  cape 
of  Noir  Island,  and,  as  the  wind  continued  hauling,  we 
were  enabled  at  last  to  head  free  of  the  coast.  With  each 
passing  hour  we  breathed  more  and  more  freely. 

"  Morning  dawned — a  morning  of  exultation  to  us  all. 
Our  scene  of  danger  was  already  far  away — the  gale  had 
subsided  to  a  fresh  breeze — and  with  the  reefs  shaken 
from  the  topsails  and  topgallantsails  set,  we  were  speed- 
ily hastening  to  the  open  sea. 

"  As  all  our  anchors  but  one,  of  small  size,  were  lost  at 
Noir  Island,  Captain  Long  determined  to  sail  direct  for 
Valparaiso,  instead  of  returning  to  Orange  Bay.  We  are 
making  rapid  progress  with  a  fair  wind,  and  shall  look  for 
our  port  in  fifteen  or  twenty  days." 

Here  is  a  letter  of  a  different  character  addressed  to 
Dr.  Gray,  who  had  evidently  made  some  inquiries  about 
the  possibilities  of  missionary  work  in  Patagonia. 

TO  ASA  GRAY 
Glimpses  of  the  Patagonians  :   The  Ways  of  Primitive  Men 

"  VALPARAISO,  May  6,  1839. 

"  .  .  .  In  consequence  of  losing  our  anchors,  the 
Relief  went  on  to  Valparaiso  without  returning  to  Nassau 
Bay  as  ordered.  The  Peacock  has  since  come  in.  We 
expect  soon  to  see  the  other  vessels.  It  is  a  secret  to  be 
divulged  by  government,  how  far  south  they  reached. 
So  I  can  only  tell  you  that  the  Peacock  went  beyond  the 
French.  .  .  . 

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LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

"  I  shall  be  happy  to  do  whatever  lies  in  my  power 
towards  furthering  the  objects  of  the  Missionary  Society, 
and  shall  gladly  comply  with  your  request.  As  yet,  I 
have  nothing  encouraging  to  write,  although  we  have 
passed  over  one  region  that  you  specially  mentioned.  We 
saw  but  few  of  the  natives  at  Orange  Bay.  These  were 
an  extremely  degraded  and  filthy  race  of  beings,  of  short 
stature,  probably  one  of  the  most  debased  races  on  the 
globe.  They  came  off  to  the  ships  in  their  boats,  with 
no  clothing  but  a  piece  of  sealskin  which  covered  only 
a  part  of  the  back.  One  of  these  had  nothing  about  him 
but  a  sling,  which  hung  over  his  shoulder.  This,  I  be- 
lieve, is  their  only  weapon.  We  were  unable  to  get  from 
them  a  word  of  their  language  on  account  of  their  pro- 
pensity to  imitation.  The  only  native  phrase  they  spoke 
was  something  like  Yamoskanak,  and  this  was  always  in 
their  mouth.  Whatever  question  was  asked  them,  they 
would  repeat  it,  word  for  word,  enunciating  each  syllable 
distinctly,  and  almost  as  correctly  as  a  native  of  New 
York.  Ask  them,  '  What  do  you  want  ? '  They  say, 
'  What  do  you  want,  yamoskanak,'  laughing  at  the  same 
time,  apparently  as  much  diverted  with  us  and  our  novel- 
ties as  we  with  theirs,  and  making  as  much  sport  with  us 
as  we  attempted  to  make  with  them.  They  have  no  vil- 
lages or  settlements  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  bay.  We 
found  a  few  scattered  huts  in  the  coves  along  the  shore, 
but  they  were  all  unoccupied.  They  are  small,  conical 
structures,  made  by  inclining  a  series  of  poles,  placed  in  a 
circle,  so  as  to  meet  at  the  top.  This  is  rudely  thatched 
with  weeds  and  brush,  leaving  a  hole  on  one  side  to  crawl 
in,  and  another  at  the  centre  above,  for  the  smoke  to  go 
out.  They  are  but  a  poor  protection  from  the  cold  and 
rains  of  this  inclement  region, — not  a  single  utensil,  not 
even  a  stone  or  log  to  sit  on,  was  found  in  any  of  them. 
A  few  half-burnt  logs  lay  about  the  centre,  and  large 
numbers  of  shells  were  scattered  about  the  rude  cabin, 
indicating  from  their  fresh  appearance  that  the  place  had 
not  been  long  deserted.  Large  heaps  of  shells  lay  near 
the  entrance,  and  probably  shell-fish  form  their  principal, 
if  not  their  only  support.  With  nothing  but  the  cold 
earth  to  rest  on,  no  clothes  to  protect  their  bodies  during 
the  severe  winters,  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  how  they 
exist.  They  call  loudly  on  the  Christian  world  for  in- 

104 


VIEWS   OF   THE   ANDES 

struction,  both  as  to  what  concerns  their  temporal  com- 
forts and  spiritual  interests,  for  they  are  but  little  above 
the  brutes.  But  they  inhabit  one  of  the  most  inhospitable 
climates  in  the  world,  subject  to  violent  cold  rains  a  large 
portion  of  the  time,  and  a  long  and  severe  winter.  Hills 
in  the  neighborhood,  not  more  than  twelve  hundred  feet 
high,  had  their  summits,  in  February,  their  summer, 
covered  with  snow.  On  the  whole,  I  could  not  advise  the 
place  as  a  ground  for  missionary  operations.  Probably 
some  other  point  in  Tierra  del  Fuego  might  be  found  less 
objectionable.  At  Good  Success  Bay,  near  the  eastern 
extremity,  the  natives,  though  equally  degraded,  are  a 
more  intelligent  and  manly  race.  I  did  not  see  them, 
however.  This  I  understand  from  the  officers  of  the 
Relief ,  which  vessel  stopped  there.  They  average  six 
feet  in  height,  and  went  around  with  bows  and  arrows 
neatly  made.  But  I  can  say  nothing  respecting  its 
eligibility  as  a  missionary  station." 

Here  is  a  letter  in  another  mood,  addressed  to  his  sister 
Harriet.  It  was  written  after  a  ride  of  a  hundred  miles 
to  Santiago,  the  capital  of  Chili,  and  an  ascent  of  a 
mountain  about  8000  feet  high  in  order  to  see  in  their 
majesty  the  snowy  summits  of  the  Andes,  which  rise  16,- 
ooo  or  18,000  feet  in  height,  a  few  miles  back  of  the  city. 

TO   HIS   SISTER  HARRIET 

Views  of  the  Andes 

"VALPARAISO,  May  29,  1839. 

'  We  left  Santiago  in  a  gig  for  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tain, which  was  distant  about  fifteen  miles.  A  ride  of 
two  hours  brought  us  to  our  stopping-place.  Here  we 
procured  a  guide  who  was  accustomed  to  the  route,  and, 
mounting  our  horses,  commenced  the  ascent.  Our  path 
at  first  ran  along  a  deep  valley,  through  which  a  little 
water  was  gurgling  quietly  along ;  only  a  temporary  quiet, 
however,  as  the  torrents  rush  down  the  gorge  with  tre- 
mendous violence  during  the  thawing  of  the  mountain 
snows.  Winding  our  way  up  the  sides  of  the  valley,  we 

105 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

reached  an  open  square,  covered  here  a*nd  there  with  a 
little  shrubbery,  along  which  our  route  continued  for  an 
hour  or  two  with  little  to  interest  or  attract  attention. 
As  we  advanced,  however,  the  scenery  of  the  mountains 
increased  in  grandeur,  and  the  acclivity  became  more 
steep  and  difficult  for  the  horses.  Our  ears  were  often 
saluted  with  a  noise  much  resembling  the  watchman's 
rattle,  which,  on  nearer  approach,  was  found  to  proceed 
from  guanacos,  an  animal  of  the  deer  kind,  which  lives 
on  the  mountain.  After  about  four  hours'  toilsome  ride, 
we  reached  the  summit  of  an  elevated  ridge,  from  which 
we  looked  down  on  the  surrounding  country.  It  was  a 
most  magnificent  scene — the  fertile  plains  of  Santiago, 
the  numerous  mountain  ridges  surrounding  it,  and,  tower- 
ing above  all,  the  Andes,  mantled  with  snow  and  streaked 
along  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  make  one  of  the  most 
glorious  prospects  any  country  can  afford.  We  now 
turned  to  the  right,  following  along  the  summit  of  this 
ridge,  making  a  gradual  ascent,  and  in  the  course  of  half 
an  hour  came  in  sight  of  the  snowy  peak  we  had  before 
seen  back  in  Santiago.  A  valley  of  about  4000  feet 
separated  us  from  it ;  and  from  its  bottom  this  peak  rose 
up  to  a  height  of  at  least  8000  feet,  the  most  perfect 
picture  of  utter  desolation  I  ever  witnessed.  It  was  a 
scene  that  I  not  only  saw,  but  could  feel  through  my 
whole  system, — it  was  so  impressively,  so  awfully  grand. 
It  appeared  like  an  immense  volcano  whose  fires  were  but 
just  extinguished.  We  continued  in  sight  of  the  peak 
the  remainder  of  our  route,  and  gradually  diminished  the 
deptn  of  the  valley  that  separated  us  from  it  as  we  pro- 
gressed. At  four  o'clock  P.M.  we  reached  the  region  of 
snow,  and  a  desolate  region  it  was.  A  few  turfy  Alpine 
plants  were  seen  where  a  streamlet  was  running  down  the 
valleys, — all  else  was  dreary  and  lifeless.  We  collected 
some  of  the  plants  and  rocks,  and  as  it  began  to  grow 
dark  soon  after  sundown— about  6  P.M. — we  early  prepared 
for  our  night's  accommodations.  We  laid  down  our  furs, 
etc.,  which  we  had  brought  up  under  our  saddles,  and 
formed  as  soft  a  place  as  we  could  to  rest  our  bodies, — 
placed  the  saddles  near  our  heads  to  keep  off  the  winds, 
and  then  snugly  stowed  ourselves  away  under  three  thick 
blankets.  The  winds  whistled  over  us  by  night,  and  in 
the  morning  we  found  ice  one-half  an  inch  thick  but  a 

1 06 


IMPRESSIONS    OF   CHILI 

few  rods  off;  but  we  were  tolerably  comfortable  and 
made  out  to  get  about  eight  hours'  sleep  out  of  the  twelve 
we  were  in  bed — between  dark  in  the  evening  and  the  next 
morning's  dawn.  Our  poor  horses  stood  up  all  night  long 
without  anything  to  cover  them  and  nothing  to  eat;  a 
specimen  of  the  utter  indifference  of  the  Chilians  to  the 
comforts  of  their  horses.  We  finished  the  small  stock  of 
provisions  we  had  with  us  in  the  morning  and  commenced 
our  descent  on  foot,  in  order  to  make  collections  of  speci- 
mens along  the  way.  Seven  hours  found  us  at  the  foot, 
and  two  more  back  at  Santiago.  The  trip,  though  one 
of  exposure,  had  no  injurious  effects  upon  my  health. 
Indeed  I  never  felt  better  than  when  up  the  mountain. 
We  only  reached  the  limits  of  perpetual  snow.  The 
mountains  yet  rose  some  four  or  five  thousand  feet 
above  us. 

"  Santiago  is  the  finest  city  of  Chili,  and  much  the 
largest.  It  is  the  residence  of  all  the  wealth  and  aristoc- 
racy of  the  country,  and  some  of  the  houses  are  very 
beautiful;  the  part  fronting  the  street  never  gives  any 
idea  of  the  richness  of  the  building  within  the  court." 

The  following  letter,  addressed  to  his  former  teacher, 
the  editor  of  the  American  Journal  of  Science,  begins 
with  an  apology  for  not  writing  before,  and  a  slight  demur 
at  the  restrictions  upon  scientific  correspondence  imposed 
by  the  regulations  of  the  squadron. 

TO   BENJAMIN   SILLIMAN 
Excursions  in  the  Andes.     Impressions  of  Chili 

"  OFF  TAHITI,  SOCIETY  ISLANDS,  Sept.  12,  1839. 

During  this  long  time  we  have  visited  but  six  ports, 
—Madeira,  Rio  Janeiro,  Rio  Negro,  Orange  Bay  in 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  Valparaiso,  and  Callao,  all  of  which, 
excepting  two,  are  regions  hitherto  often  explored,  and 
not  proper  cruising  ground  for  an  exploring  expedition. 
The  wind-up  of  the  affairs  of  the  Relief,  and  dispatching 
her  home  in  consequence  of  the  loss  of  her  anchors  in 
a  gale  off  Tierra  del  Fuego,  caused  the  last  two  or  three 
weeks  of  detention.  You  have  probably  heard  of  our 

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LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT    DANA 

perilous  situation  at  that  time,  and  I  will  not  therefore 
dwell  on  the  subject  here. 

"  The  South  American  ports,  though  not  terra  incog- 
nita, have  proved  of  much  interest,  especially  those  of  the 
western  coast.  The  Andes  were  the  first  objects  we  saw 
on  approaching  the  coast.  They  form  the  background  in 
the  Chilian  and  Peruvian  landscape.  The  eye  climbs 
mountain  beyond  mountain  in  the  front  of  the  scene,  and 
finally  rests  on  the  snowy  summits  of  this  towering  ridge. 
The  general  character  of  it  was  more  massy,  more  even  in 
its  outline,  and  unbroken  in  its  surface,  than  my  fancy 
had  pictured  to  me.  Here  and  there,  however,  conical 
peaks  towered  aloft,  and  by  their  wide,  turreted  shapes 
and  columnar  structure  diversify  the  character  and 
heighten  the  grandeur  of  the  scene.  I  made  two  excur- 
sions among  the  Cordilleras,  and  in  one  reached  an  eleva- 
tion of  12,000  feet.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  sleeping 
through  a  windy  night  near  several  acres  of  perpetual 
snows.  Water  froze  half  an  inch  thick  within  a  few  feet 
of  us;  but  the  interest  the  scene  had  excited,  together 
with  a  couple  of  blankets,  and  a  fire  of  Alpine  plants, 
kept  us  comfortable  through  twelve  hours  of  darkness. 
These  Alpine  plants,  as  they  were  the  first  I  had  seen  of 
them,  astonished  and  delighted  me  with  their  singulari- 
ties. Although  regular  flowering  plants,  they  grow  to- 
gether in  the  form  of  a  short  tuft,  the  whole  so  hard  and 
the  leaves  so  closely  compacted  that  the  foot  struck 
against  them  scarcely  makes  more  impression  than  on  the 
adjoining  rocks;  they  can  prevent  in  these  wintry  regions 
the  escape  of  the  little  heat  they  originate.  One  little 
flower  particularly  attracted  my  attention  and  led  my 
mind  upward  to  Him  whose  wisdom  and  goodness  were 
here  displayed.  It  was  scarce  an  inch  high  and  stood  by 
itself,  here  and  there  one,  over  the  bleak,  rocky  soil.  A 
small  tuft  of  leaves  densely  covered  with  down  above 
formed  a  warm  repose  for  a  single  flower  which  spread 
over  it  its  purple  petals.  I  should  delight  to  add  some 
of  these  strange  forms  of  vegetation  to  Benjamin's  flower- 
garden.  But  they  lose  all  their  peculiarities  in  a  warmer 
climate.  Even  the  hard  Alpine  turf,  a  few  hundred  feet 
below,  spreads  out  and  assumes  the  forms  of  the  plants  of 
temperate  latitudes.  I  find  that  these  mountains  are 
mostly  composed  of —  I  was  about  to  transgress.  I,  how- 

108 


EARTHQUAKES 

ever,  may  state  that  I  have  been  highly  interested  in  the 
geology  of  this  region,  and  I  only  regret  that  I  had  no 
opportunity  to  make  my  observations  more  extensive  by 
crossing  the  mountains  to  Mendoza,  situated  at  their 
eastern  foot.  Dr.  Pickering,  Mr.  Rich,  and  others  who 
were  at  Lima  much  of  the  time  our  vessel  remained  at 
Valparaiso,  ascended  and  passed  the  summit  of  the  Peru- 
vian Andes.  They  reached  an  elevation  exceeding  16,000 
feet.  I  will  add  one  fact,  as  the  knowledge  of  it  by  your- 
self will  prove  of  no  injury  to  the  expedition ;  it  is,  that 
Dr.  Pickering  collected  a  large  ammonite  near  the  sum- 
mit of  the  Andes  at  16,000  feet  elevation.  The  existence 
of  extensive  deposits  of  red  sandstone  and  accompany- 
ing shales  in  this  part  of  the  Andes  has  long  been 
known. 

'  The  frequency  of  earthquakes  in  Chili  has  given  a 
peculiarity  to  the  style  of  building.  The  houses  rarely 
consist  of  more  than  a  single  story,  and  throughout  the 
villages,  and  very  generally  in  the  large  cities,  they  are 
formed  of  a  framework  of  reeds,  covered  externally  with 
mud  and  plaster.  The  better  houses  have  the  form  of  a 
hollow  square,  surrounding  thus  a  large  court,  to  which 
the  people  retire  during  an  earthquake.  The  ceilings  are 
rarely  plastered,  but  are  sometimes  covered  with  cotton 
cloth.  Such  houses  might  fall  about  their  heads  without 
any  very  serious  accident.  The  yielding  nature  of  the 
reeds,  moreover,  will  bear  a  heavy  shaking  before  they 
fall.  Very  many  of  the  houses  scattered  through  the 
country  are  not  even  plastered  outside,  but  consist  of 
reeds  or  brush  very  imperfectly  woven  together,  and 
some  are  even  made  of  corn-stalks.  Often  while  riding 
by  at  night,  I  have  seen,  through  the  open  brushwood 
wall,  the  inmates  collected  around  a  blazing  fire — it  was 
late  in  autumn  and  the  nights  were  cool — made  in  the 
centre  of  their  shanty-like  houses.  I  have  rarely  enjoyed 
myself  more  than  in  some  of  these  huts  at  night,  while 
on  our  excursion  through  the  country  to  the  mountains. 
Everything  so  novel.  Ourselves,  with  the  family,  col- 
lected around  a  few  coals  which  men  brought  in  and 
emptied  on  the  floor — the  bare  earth ;  the  large  wooden 
bowl  of  casuela — a  kind  of  fricassee  of  chicken  with  pota- 
toes and  other  vegetables,  hot  with  pepper — around  which 
we  collected  on  rude  stools,  and  each  one  with  his  wooden 

109 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

spoon  dipping  into  the  common  dish ;  our  bed,  made  up 
in  the  common  apartment  on  the  earthy  floor,  and  con- 
sisting of  the  blankets  ('pillows  ')  which  form  part  of  the 
appurtenances  to  a  Chilian  saddle ;  these  and  many  other 
circumstances  which  I  cannot  now  state  gave  a  peculiar 
zest  to  these  Chilian  excursions. 

"  In  Lima,  Peru,  the  effects  of  earthquakes  are  every- 
where apparent.  Walking  through  the  city,  we  see 
scarcely  a  spire,  among  its  numerous  churches  and  cathe- 
drals, which  has  not  been  shattered  by  earthquakes  or 
lost  some  of  its  architectural  ornaments. 

(<  Since  leaving  this  coast  we  have  been  sailing  among 
the  coral  islands  to  the  west  and  north  of  Tahiti.  They 
are  truly  fairy  spots  in  the  ocean,  as  you  read  in  Ellis's 
work  on  Polynesia.  I  would  say  something  about  them, 
but  the  shortness  of  my  page  compels  me  to  draw  to  a 
close. 

'  We  shall  remain  in  Tahiti  a  week  or  a  fortnight. 
We  have  just  planned  a  jaunt  to  the  summit  of  the  high- 
est peak  and  then  across  the  island.  From  Tahiti  we  go 
west,  and  by  December  or  January  shall  be  at  Sydney, ( 
to  start  on  another  polar  voyage. ' ' 

TO   HIS   BROTHER  JOHN 
Impressions  of  Tahiti 

"  SOCIETY  ISLANDS,  Sept.  16,  1839. 

'  We  arrived  here  on  the  I3th  after  a  delightful  cruise 
among  the  numerous  coral  islands  to  the  northward  and 
westward  of  Tahiti.  These  coral  islands  are  truly  fairy 
spots  in  the  ocean.  They  rise  but  a  few  feet  above  the 
water's  surface,  and  are  covered  with  a  luxuriant  tropical 
vegetation.  On  one  of  these,  which  was  not  inhabited, 
the  birds  were  so  tame  that  they  permitted  themselves  to 
be  taken  from  the  bushes  and  trees,  and  flew  about  our 
heads  so  near  us  that  we  could  almost  take  them  with 
our  hands.  They  did  not  know  enough  to  fear.  The 
whole  island  was  almost  a  paradise.  These  islands  have 
a  circular  or  oval  form,  and  consist  of  a  narrow  rim  of 
land  surrounding  a  large  lake.  Some  are  fifty  miles  long 
and  the  lake  so  broad  you  cannot  see  across  it.  Tahiti 

no 


TAHITI   AND    SAMOA 

(often  spelt  Otaheite)  is,  you  know,  one  of  the  principal 
missionary  stations  in  these  seas.  I  have  seen  Mr.  Wil- 
son, who  is  one  of  the  oldest  of  the  missionary  residents. 
He  has  been  here  thirty-eight  years,  with  the  exception 
of  a  year  and  a  half's  residence  in  New  Zealand,  where  he 
went  for  his  health,  a  few  weeks  subsequent  to  his  arrival. 
He  is  a  venerable  old  man.  Nothing  since  I  left  home 
has  afforded  me  stronger  emotions  of  pleasure  than  seeing 
and  conversing  with  one  whose  life  has  so  long  been  de- 
voted entirely  to  the  service  of  God,  amidst  trials  and 
difficulties  of  which  you  can  have  no  conception.  He 
lives  to  see  his  labors  blest  to  his  people:  for  many  a 
Christian,  through  the  blessing  of  God,  is  numbered  in 
his  little  flock.  Among  our  guides  on  an  excursion  the 
other  day  there  was  one  who  called  the  others  around 
him  and  prayed  aloud  every  morning  about  daylight,  and 
at  night  on  retiring.  They  were  delightful  sounds  to 
come  from  the  mouth  of  a  native  of  Tahiti.  The  mis- 
sionaries have  very  much  to  contend  with,  much  that  is 
very  disheartening.  I  mean  the  influence,  immoral  in- 
fluence, of  foreign  seamen.  I  have  witnessed  it  since  I 
have  been  here  and  have  wept  over  it,  for  it  is  truly 
lamentable  to  see  this  simple-hearted  people  led  away  by 
the  worthless  characters  that  often  go  from  our  ships 
among  them." 

TO    HIS    MOTHER 

Religious  Work   in    the   Samoan   Islands:     The   English 
Missionary,  Rev.  John  Williams 

"SYDNEY,  NEW  SOUTH  WALES,  Dec.  i,  1839. 

"  My  letter  from  the  Society  Islands,  I  fear,  caused 
some  disappointment.  The  facts  were  sad  to  me,  and  as 
much  so,  I  know,  to  you  all,  who  have  viewed  the  mis- 
sions there  as  one  of  the  most  signal  instances  of  the 
triumphs  of  the  Gospel.  How  lamentable  that  the  im- 
moral tendency  of  the  intercourse  with  foreign  shipping 
should  have  so  successfully  counteracted  the  instructions 
of  the  missionaries  and  to  a  great  extent  destroyed  their 
influence  among  the  people!  But  this  class  of  persons 
outnumbers  the  missionaries  by  hundreds.  An  almighty 

ill 


LIFE    OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

arm  alone  could  shut  out  such  floods  of  vice,  and  shall 
we  not  pray  with  increased  fervor  that  His  arm  may  be 
outstretched  to  rescue  the  people  from  further  declension,' 
that  His  spirit  may  be  felt  among  them,  giving  power  to 
the  truths  of  the  Gospel,  and  strength  to  the  ministers  of 
the  Gospel  on  this  island  ? 

Follow  me  to  the  Navigator  Islands  and  I  will  show 
you  a  brighter  picture,  one  which  has  made  my  heart 
glad.  The  mission  here  has  been  established  less  than 
four  years,  and  through  the  grace  of  God  the  change  has 
been  truly  great  and  must  cause  a  thrill  of  joy  in  every 
Christian  heart.  At  Tutuila,  one  of  this  group  of  islands, 
we  remained  nearly  two  days;  a  short  time,  but  long 
enough  to  see  the  effects  of  the  Spirit  of  God  among  the 
people.  Nearly  the  whole  population  have  given  up 
their  heathen  rites  and  nominally  at  least  profess  Chris- 
tianity. The  church  under  Mr.  Murray  contains  but  few 
members,  I  believe  not  over  twenty  or  twenty-five; 
though  many  others  have  given  evidence  of  Christian 
character.  He  admits  them  to  church  membership  with 
great  caution.  The  natives  are  truly  hungering  for  the 
bread  of  life.  Such  solemnity  as  prevailed  through  his 
church  during  divine  service  on  Sunday  might  put  to  the 
blush  many  a  congregation  at  home.  Not  a  smile  or  a 
whisper,  not  a  wandering  eye  could  be  seen  through  the 
whole  of  a  large  congregation.  They  seemed  to  drink  in 
every  word  that  was  uttered,  as  if  they  were  indeed  the 
waters  of  salvation  to  them.  The  influence  of  the  Bible 
does  not  leave  them  as  they  leave  the  church :  but  in  all 
their  dealings  with  us  we  found  them  strictly  honest  and 
moral.  Mr.  Murray,  the  missionary  at  the  station  we 
visited,  is  a  very  devoted  Christian.  Judging  from  his 
pallid  countenance,  he  appears  to  be  already  wearing 
away  in  the  cause  of  Christ. 

"  On  the  island  of  Upolu,  which  contains  about  30,000 
inhabitants,two-thirds  have  nominally  embraced  Christian- 
ity ;  the  heathen  part  of  the  population  present  a  striking 
contrast  in  their  habits,  manners,  and  character,  when 
compared  with  those  who  have  received  the  light  of  the 
Gospel.  Among  the  latter,  books  are  sought  for  with 
great  earnestness,  and  day  after  day  they  look  anxiously 
forward  to  the  publication  of  some  new  tract  or  new  por- 
tion of  the  Bible  from  the  printing-press  of  the  station. 

112 


JOHN   WILLIAMS,    MISSIONARY-MARTYR 

Needles  are  in  great  demand  among  them,  indicating 
habits  of  industry  and  a  strong  disposition  to  improve 
their  condition.  They  are  perfectly  honest  and  kind  in 
all  their  dealings.  The  church  on  Sunday  presents  a  very 
interesting  sight.  It  is  a  large  round  or  oblong-oval  build- 
ing, without  seats  or  floor;  the  earth  being  covered  with 
mats  made  of  cocoanut  leaves,  or  some  other  vegetable 
production  of  the  island,  and  upon  these  mats  the  natives 
are  collected,  sitting  closely  together.  The  minister 
stands  towards  one  side  of  the  building,  sometimes  before 
a  rude  desk,  and  there  delivers  that  bread  of  life  to  the 
listening  audience.  They  have  been  taught  some  of  our 
sacred  music,  and  always  sing  in  the  course  of  the  Sunday 
exercises.  The  natives,  especially  the  children,  learn 
very  rapidly,  and  often  are  able  to  read  well  after  three 
months'  study.  Men  of  forty  and  fifty  years  are  among 
the  scholars  at  the  schools,  but  their  progress  is  much 
slower  than  the  younger  children.  I  spent  two  nights 
at  Mr.  Williams's  house,  the  principal  missionary  of  these 
islands,  the  author  of  Missionary  Enterprises  in  the  South 
Seas,  a  work  you  are  probably  acquainted  with.  I  passed 
the  time  very  delightfully  with  him  and  his  family.  He 
is  a  man  of  about  forty-five  years,  extremely  kind  and 
affable  in  his  manners,  and  very  zealous  and  energetic  in 
the  cause  to  which  his  life  has  been  devoted.  He  first 
planted  the  Gospel  standard  on  the  Navigator  Islands, 
and  a  day  or  two  before  we  sailed,  the  missionary  brig 
Camden  left  with  Mr.  Williams  and  eleven  native  teach- 
ers, for  the  New  Hebrides,  there  to  introduce  the  same 
standard,  by  leaving  the  native  missionaries  among  them. 
I  spent  two  days  at  the  station  where  the  printing-press 
is  established,  with  the  missionary,  Mr.  Stain.  They 
have  just  issued  the  first  number  of  a  small  periodical  in 
the  native  language,  which  is  to  continue,  and  will  come 
out  every  two  months.  The  printing  is  done  by  natives, 
and  for  style  would  do  credit  to  more  experienced  work- 
men. 

"  Postscript.  December  5,  1839.  The  day  after  the 
date  of  my  letter  we  received  the  sad  intelligence  of  the 
death  of  the  missionary,  Mr.  Williams,  whom  we  parted 
with  at  the  Navigator  Islands.  He  was  massacred,  with  a 
Mr.  Harris  who  accompanied  them,  on  Erromango,  a  small 
island  among  the  New  Hebrides.  I  send  you  a  paper 

"3 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

which  will  give  you  the  particulars  of  his  death.  The 
news  was  to  me  a  severe  shock ;  we  had  parted  with  them 
so  shortly  before,  all  in  high  anticipation  of  success,  and 
expecting  to  meet  us  again  at  Sydney.  He  leaves  behind 
a  wife  and  one  small  child,  besides  a  son  who  is  lately 
married.  He  has  finished  his  work  on  earth,  dying  a 
martyr  in  the  very  act  of  planting  the  Gospel  on  a  heathen 
island. 

"I  shall  not  go  south  myself.  The  scientific  corps 
leaves  the  vessels  here  to  join  them  at  New  Zealand  on 
the  return  of  the  squadron  from  the  south." 

TO   EDWARD   C.    HERRICK 
Impressions  of  Australia 

"  MAITLAND,  NEW  SOUTH  WALES,  Jan.  28,  1840. 

"  We  reached  the  port  of  Sydney  early  in  December, 
with  the  expectation  of  making  preparations  immediately 
for  our  cruise  in  the  polar  seas.  The  scientific  corps  were 
detached  soon  after  as  a  worse  than  useless  appendage  to 
an  expedition  cruising  among  the  ice;  for  we  should  find 
little  or  nothing  in  natural  history  in  those  frigid  regions, 
and  would  only  add  to  the  number  of  mouths  that  must 
be  filled  from  the  stock  of  provisions  on  board.  We  were 
satisfied  of  this  ourselves,  and  very  gladly  took  advantage 
of  the  opportunity  afforded  to  employ  the  season  more 
profitably  in  New  Holland  and  New  Zealand.  We  shall 
soon  be  in  the  latter  islands,  where  we  are  to  meet  our 
vessels  again  in  the  course  of  next  March.  We  have 
been  treated  with  extreme  courtesy  and  kindness  since 
we  landed  here,  all,  from  the  government  down,  striving 
by  their  attentions  and  favors  to  gratify  our  wishes  or 
further  our  objects  in  our  several  departments.  Invita- 
tions come  from  every  side  to  visit  this  and  that  part  of 
the  country  and  to  accept  of  their  hospitality ;  horses  are 
sent  to  our  doors  to  aid  us  in  our  excursions;  letters  of 
introduction  forced  on  us  to  every  gentleman  along  our 
way — boxes  of  specimens  often  offered  us.  Indeed,  we 
have  found  open  doors  and  open  hearts  everywhere.  I 
might  mention  many  names  of  persons  whom  I  shall  de- 
light to  remember,  but  I  will  only  state  one  or  two  that 

114 


INTERVIEWS   WITH   NATURALISTS 

are  already  familiar  to  your  ears.  Alexander  McLeay 
lives,  you  know,  with  his  family,  residing  in  a  splendid 
mansion  about  two  miles  out  of  Sydney,  near  the  borders 
of  one  of  the  coves  of  Port  Jackson.  He  is  a  venerable 
old  man,  his  remaining  locks,  for  he  is  partially  bald,  now 
white  with  age.  He  has  a  rather  large,  portly  frame,  and 
unites  in  his  countenance  kindness  and  cheerfulness,  with 
an  expression  commanding  respect  and  even  reverence. 
I  saw  him  one  evening  occupying  the  chair  as  presiding 
officer  at  a  missionary  meeting  in  Sydney ;  and  how  de- 
lightful it  was  to  find  a  man  who  has  been  so  eminent 
in  politics  and  science  combining  religion  with  his  other 
qualities !  He  tells  me  that  he  is  now  in  his  seventy-third 
year.  His  wife  still  lives,  and  is  a  fine,  matronly  old 
lady,  well  becoming  such  a  husband.  Wm.  S.  McLeay, 
his  son,  is  better  known  to  you  as  the  author  of  the  cir- 
cular system  of  classification ;  though  by  the  by  I  have 
heard  it  suggested  that  his  father  helped  him  to  some  of 
the  ideas.  Though  not  a  man  of  striking  superiority  in 
his  general  physiognomy  or  in  the  first  of  a  conversation 
with  him,  his  broad  forehead  and  sharp  piercing  eye  in- 
dicate the  deep  thought  and  philosophical  mind  which  are 
so  evident  in  his  writings. 

"  Another  name,  with  which  you  have  long  been  con- 
versant, and,  as  I  now  learn,  one  with  whom  you  corre- 
spond, is  the  Rev.  W.  B.  Clarke — of  London  memory. 
We  have  spent  many  days  together  and  for  a  week  geol- 
ogized in  company  over  the  mountains  of  the  Illiwawa 
district.  He  is  a  strange  man  for  a  clergyman.  Geology 
certainly  comes  first  with  him ;  next  theology.  .  .  . 
He  is  very  enthusiastic  in  his  geological  pursuits  and  in- 
tends soon  to  give  the  geological  world  an  account  of  the 
rocks  of  New  South  Wales.  ...  I  find  he  has  been 
a  very  voluminous  writer,  having  edited  a  religious  maga- 
zine, besides  attending  to  his  theological  duties,  his  geo- 
logical observation,  and  all  his'  various  speculations  on 
various  subjects  which  have  tired  many  a  reader  of  Lon- 
don. An  article  of  four  hundred  pages,  he  informs  me, 
he  is  about  publishing  in  the  Geological  Transactions  on 
the  Crag  of  Suffolk." 

On  the  return  of  his  comrades  from  their  dangerous 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

voyage,  he  gathered  the  particulars  respecting  the  dis- 
covery of  an  antarctic  continent,  and  communicated  them 
to  his  friends  at  home. 

Discovery  of  an  Antarctic  Continent 

TO   HIS   BROTHER  JOHN 
"  BAY  OF  ISLANDS,  NEW  ZEALAND,  March  3,  1840. 

"  A  word  or  two  to  let  you  know  how  and  where  I  am, 
and  where  we  are  going,  is  all  I  have  at  present  time  to 
write.  Our  vessels  have  arrived  from  the  cruise  south, 
excepting  the  Peacock,  which,  we  hear,  put  in  at  Port 
Jackson  and  will  join  the  squadron  at  the  Tonga  Islands. 
They  have  all  fared  well  in  the  cold  regions,  being  free 
from  sickness  and  accidents,  excepting  the  Peacock,  which 
was  for  a  while  blocked  up  in  the  ice  and  not  extricated 
till  she  had  met  with  severe  injury.  You  will  probably 
see  a  more  particular  account  in  the  papers  from  those 
who  experienced  the  dangers,  and  I  do  not  therefore 
stop  to  give  the  details.  We  have  made  some  splendid 
discoveries,  have  traced  the  shores  of  an  antarctic  con- 
tinent, at  intervals,  for  1500  miles,  obtained  specimens  of 
the  mineral  productions,  and  sketches  of  its  mountains. 
The  French,  who  are  now  on  a  voyage  of  discovery,  in 
the  ships  Astrolabe  and  Ze'le'e,  were  about  ten  hours  too 
late  to  be  first  discoverers.  The  Vincennes  saw  the  land 
on  the  morning  of  the  igth  of  January,  and  the  French 
on  the  evening  of  the  same  day.  So  you  see  we  were 
before  them.  But  it  is  useless  for  me  to  particularize 
here,  as  a  complete  account  will  probably  be  immediately 
published. 

'  We  leave  in  two  or  three  days  for  Tonga,  and  from 
there  shall  go  to  the  Feejees.  After  surveying  the 
Feejees,  we  next  start  for  the  Sandwich  Islands,  where  I 
am  anxiously  looking  for  letters  and  news.  Our  north- 
west coast  will  be  our  next  destination." 

TO   BENJAMIN    SILLIMAN 

"  BAY  OF  ISLANDS,  NEW  ZEALAND,  March  4,  1840. 

"  In  the  first  place  we  have  just  welcomed  our  friends 
from  the  Polar  regions,  with  whom  we  parted  some  three 

116 


AN    ANTARCTIC   CONTINENT 

months  since  at  Sydney;  and,  what  is  of  more  general 
interest,  they  tell  us  of  the  discovery  of  an  immense  con- 
tinent occupying  the  greater  part  of  the  area  within  the 
Antarctic  Circle.  The  Vincennes  first  fell  in  with  the 
land  in  longitude  97°  E.,  between  66°  and  67°  south  lati- 
tude. A  high  range  of  mountains  appeared  over  the  icy 
barrier  that  intervened.  They  followed  along  the  barrier 
to  the  eastward,  observing  the  land  seven  or  eight  times 
in  the  course  of  forty-five  degrees  of  longitude,  and  again 
saw  indistinctly  indications  of  it  in  165°  E.  The  barrier 
of  ice  forms  a  nearly  continuous  bank  through  the  whole 
of  this  distance,  and  has  been  surveyed  as  if  a  line  of 
coast.  Its  firmness  and  general  appearance  leave  no 
doubt  that  the  whole  is  connected  into  a  single  vast  con- 
tinent, and  we  may  say  that  we  have  traced  it  for  at  least 
1 500  miles.  After  this  running  along  the  barrier  for  about 
seventy  degrees  of  longitude,  the  Vincennes  found  herself 
in  a  deep  bay,  and  the  ice  trending  to  the  northward. 
This  stopped  farther  progress  to  the  eastward  along  that 
latitude,  and  the  ship  was  some  days  in  beating  to  the 
northward  to  pursue  again  an  easterly  course  along  the 
barrier.  They  at  last  found  the  barrier  again  resuming 
its  easterly  direction,  and  in  the  same  latitude  that  Cook 
fell  in  with  it,  and  not  far  west  of  his  position.  These 
facts  appear  to  imply  that  the  land  also  trends  to  the 
northward  at  this  place,  and  afterwards  continues  again 
its  easterly  course.  They  had  delightful  weather  most  of 
the  time,  and  were  enabled  to  sail  quite  close  to  the  bar- 
rier. The  Vincennes  was  only  ten  or  a  dozen  hours  in 
advance  of  the  French  expedition  in  the  first  discovery 
of  the  land.  The  Astrolabe  and  Ze'lefeJ  according  to  a  re- 
port by  the  commander,  in  the  Hobart  Town  (Van  Die- 
men's  Land)  papers,  fell  in  with  it  on  the  evening  of  the 
iQth  of  January,  and  the  Vincennes  has  it  logged  as  seen 
on  the  morning  of  the  same  day, — close  on  our  heels,  but 
not  before  us.  The  French  vessels  were  satisfied  with  a 
sight  of  one  place  alone,  and  immediately  returned  to 
Hobart  Town.  The  crew  have  been  in  a  wretched  state 
with  the  scurvy,  and  I  understand  that  previous  to  the 
cruise  south  they  had  lost  thirty  men  within  a  few  months, 
and  among  the  number  four  officers.  We  have  had  no 
sickness  on  board,  or  very  little  indeed,  and  the  officers 
have  all  returned  in  better  health  than  when  they  left. 

117 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

They  have  brought  up  some  large  masses  of  rock  which 
were  found  imbedded  in  the  ice-specimens  of  the  con- 
tinent. They  consist  of  granite,  basalt,  red  sandstone, 
and  granular  quartz  rock. 

"  The  vessels  have  all  come  in  here,  excepting  the  Pea- 
cock. She  was  compelled  to  return  north  shortly  after 
reaching  the  ice,  having  been  blocked  up  in  it  and  very 
severely  injured.  They  were  in  imminent  danger  for  a 
while,  but  were  at  last  extracted  with  a  loss  of  the  rudder 
and  forefoot.  She  was  so  badly  injured  that  in  all  prob- 
ability she  would  not  afterwards  have  stood  a  gale  of 
wind  ;  they  were,  however,  favored  with  fine  weather  and 
reached  Sydney  in  safety. 

"  You  will  probably  read  a  full  account  of  these  dis- 
coveries in  the  papers,  as  Captain  Wilkes  has  sent  home 
an  extended  report  with  copies  of  the  charts.  My  letter, 
as  you  know,  cannot  be  made  public." 

The  next  letter,  to  Dr.  Gray,  gives  a  vivid  picture  of 
the  scientific  work  of  the  expedition.  It  is  written  with 
great  freedom,  as  to  a  colleague  who  had  missed  the  op- 
portunity to  go  with  the  explorers. 

TO   ASA   GRAY 

A  Review  of  the  First  Half  of  the  Voyage, — for  his  Scien- 
tific Friends 

"  FEEJEE  ISLANDS,  June  15,  1840. 

"  We  have  been  threading  our  way  for  the  past  month 
among  the  reefs  and  shoals  of  the  Feejee  Islands,  some- 
times aground,  and  often  within  but  little  of  it.  We  are 
now  so  accustomed  to  thumps  against  the  reefs  that  they 
seldom  interrupt  me  in  my  studies  or  investigations  be- 
low. The  danger  of  navigation  here  has  not  been  mis- 
represented. Throw  a  large  number — some  hundred  or 
a  hundred  and  fifty — of  islands  together,  and  so  thickly 
that  sailing  among  them  you  are  rarely  out  of  sight  of 
land ;  run  out  from  these  islands  long  coral  reefs,  in  dif- 
ferent directions,  above  and  below  water;  and  among 
these,  numerous  sunken  reefs  of  all  sizes  from  a  few  feet  in 
diameter  to  many  miles,  and  you  have  a  facsimile  of  the 

118 


AMONG   THE    FEEJEE   CANNIBALS 

Feejees.  The  last  two  hundred  miles  we  have  been  sail- 
ing within  the  reefs  adjoining  the  two  largest  islands, 
beating  our  way  through  a  narrow  passage  in  some  places 
less  than  half  a  mile  wide,  getting  on  reefs  and  getting 
off  as  well  as  we  could,  and  now  we  have  arrived  at  the 
place  of  rendezvous  of  our  vessels  preparatory  to  leaving 
these  islands.  Our  vessel  has  sustained  no  injury,  except 
it  may  be  the  loss  of  a  few  square  feet  of  copper.  The 
English  surveying  ships,  the  Sulphur  under  Captain  Bel- 
cher, and  a  schooner,  which  arrived  within  three  weeks 
after  us,  on  their  way  home  from  our  north  coast,  have 
been  less  favored  than  ourselves.  The  first  harbor  they 
entered  they  ran  aground,  knocked  off  the  rudder,  and 
suffered  other  serious  damages.  We  have  supplied  them 
with  some  of  the  ironwork  for  a  new  rudder,  and  the 
Vincennes  is  assisting  them  in  cutting  one.  They  say 
their  vessels  have  been  aground  seventy  times  in  the 
course  of  their  cruise  on  the  northwest  coast.  By  the 
way,  the  English  are  looking  very  seriously  to  the  pos- 
session and  occupation  of  the  Columbia  River  territory. 

'  The  Feejees  have  proved  a  very  interesting  group  for 
us.  We  have  found  the  natives  a  cruel,  treacherous  race 
of  cannibals,  preferring  a  roasted  Feejee  to  the  fatted  hog 
(a  white  man,  they  say,  tastes  bitter — tame  animals,  you 
know,  never  have  the  flavor  of  wild  game),  and  some- 
times killing  a  slave  when  no  enemy  has  been  taken 
prisoner.  But  three  or  four  days  since  a  man  belonging 
to  the  village  near  us  was  murdered,  roasted,  and  eaten 
by  a  neighboring  tribe.  In  our  intercourse  with  them, 
we  have  always  found  them  kindly  disposed  towards  us, 
and  at  some  of  the  ports  I  presume  there  would  be  no 
danger  in  the  most  familiar  intercourse,  even  without  the 
protection  of  arms.  At  others,  your  head  would  not  be 
long  your  own  if  trusted  among  them.  In  the  interior 
there  are  villages  of  mountaineers  who  have  never  seen 
salt  water;  we  have  given  them  a  wide  berth.  At  Rewa 
we  managed  to  get  into  our  possession  one  of  the  chiefs, 
who  was  instrumental  some  years  since  in  the  massacre  of 
the  crew  of  a  Salem  vessel.  We  intended  to  bring  him 
with  us  to  the  United  States  to  gratify  the  people  at 
home  with  a  sight  of  one  of  these  man-eaters.  To  catch 
him  we  detained  the  king  of  the  place  and  the  next 
highest  chief  on  board,  threatening  them  with  transporta- 

IJ9 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

tion  unless  Vindovie  (the  murderer)  was  brought.  The 
large  canoe  belonging  to  the  king  went  after  him  under 
the  direction  of  one  of  the  chiefs  and  brought  Vindovie 
the  next  morning.  He  was  put  in  irons  before  the 
natives,  but  promised  that  he  should  not  be  punished 
with  death.  One  of  his  slaves,  a  Sandwich  Islander,  was 
shipped  with  him  as  his  barber — he  has  an  enormous  head 
of  hair,  dressed  with  all  the  care  of  a  Broadway  dandy, 
though  a  la  Feejee.  Most  of  the  natives  showed  little  or 
no  feeling  at  parting  with  him.  Two  of  his  slaves  were 
very  desirous  of  sharing  his  fate.  When  the  natives  were 
ordered  out  of  the  ship  they  still  remained  sitting  at 
Vindovie's  feet,  where  they  had  placed  themselves,  and 
did  not  move  till  an  officer  started  them  up ;  they  then 
kissed  his  feet  and  went  reluctantly  on  deck.  We  have 
just  come  to  anchor  at  Mathata,  where  we  shall  use  strata- 
gem or  force,  as  the  case  requires,  to  secure  a  second 
chief,  who  but  a  few  months  since  murdered  and  ate  a 
sailor  belonging  to  the  Leonidas,  a  Salem  vessel  now 
among  these  islands.  He  was  alone  in  the  boat,  and  had 
been  trading  with  them ;  by  their  offers  of  articles  for 
trade  he  was  enticed  ashore  and  knocked  on  the  head. 
We  can  scarcely  calculate  upon  the  issue  of  this  affair. 
The  natives  have  got  wind  of  our  intentions,  having 
some  time  since  learnt  what  had  been  done  at  Rewa. 
Burning  villages  is  of  no  avail  as  punishment.  They 
only  laugh  at  it.  A  few  weeks  will  repair  all  the  dam- 
age. They  have  heretofore  sneered  at  men-of-war,  as 
they  had  done  nothing  here  excepting  burning  a  town, 
and  it  is  very  important  that  some  more  effective  mode 
of  exciting  their  fears  should  be  adopted. 

'  We  have  established  a  set  of  regulations  among  them 
by  obtaining  the  signatures  of  the  chiefs,  and  we  believe 
that  in  future  intercourse  with  the  Feejees  will  be  com- 
paratively safe.  There  are  a  few  Wesleyan  missionaries 
here,  and  I  understand  that  they  are  daily  expecting 
large  additions  to  their  numbers.  Much  has  been  done 
towards  obtaining  a  foothold  among  them.  At  Rewa 
they  have  been  living  in  the  most  wretched  condition, 
occupying  one  of  the  native  huts,  which  is  old  and  very 
leaky,  and  placing  no  confidence  in  the  kindness  of  the 
natives.  Their  lives  have  been  threatened  several  times. 
A  young  boy,  son  of  a  chief,  once  asked  Mr.  Cargill  if  he 

1 20 


THE   VOYAGE   HALF   OVER 

did  not  know  that  he  could  have  his  brains  knocked  out 
if  he  chose.  I  saw  the  insolent  youth — he  had  scarcely 
passed  his  twelfth  year,  and  like  all  children  of  his  age, 
or  younger,  had  not  a  rag  of  clothing  about  him.  The 
visit  of  our  vessels,  under  the  blessing  of  God,  will  change 
the  aspect  of  things.  Captain  Hudson  has  been  very 
active  in  the  cause  of  the  missionaries.  The  king  prom- 
ised him,  before  he  left  Rewa,  that  everything  should  be 
done  for  their  comfort,  a  new  house  built  for  them,  and 
that  he  would  attend  to  their  instructions.  May  God 
sustain  them  in  their  trial,  and  abundantly  bless  their 
labors,  that  these  isles  of  the  south  may  also  awake  and 
join  in  the  chorus  of  their  "  Redeemer,  King,  Creator." 
Captain  Hudson  has  on  all  occasions  used  his  efforts  on 
behalf  of  the  missionary  cause,  and  paved  the  way  for  the 
reception  of  missionaries  at  several  ports  where  there  are 
none  now  residing.  There  is  a  printing-press  at  Rewa, 
and  small  portions  of  the  gospels  have  already  been 
printed.  They  lost  a  large  package  of  type,  which  was 
stolen  by  the  natives.  As  this  was  some  of  their  spare 
type,  they  were  not  conscious  of  it  till  the  package  was 
afterward  brought  them. 

'  You  see  our  time  is  fast  passing  away.  It  is  already 
twenty-two  months  since  we  left  home,  and  as  we  imagine 
ourselves  within  the  latter  half  of  the  voyage,  the  time  of 
our  arrival  there  is  a  frequent  subject  of  speculation  and 
conjecture.  Our  discoveries  south — the  Antarctic  con- 
tinent, which  occupies  the  most  of  the  frigid  zone,  sur- 
veyed for  1500  miles  by  the  Vincennes — have  probably 
reached  you  long  before  this  in  the  newspapers.  Also 
the  perilous  situation  of  the  Peacock  in  the  ice  cannot  be 
news  to  you.  During  all  this  cruise,  we  (scientifics)  were 
at  New  South  Wales  and  New  Zealand,  where  I  passed 
three  months  very  delightfully. 

"  I  assure  you,  you  are  much  missed  among  us.  Dr. 
Pickering  is  heart  and  head  in  the  botanical  line,  but  he 
often  wishes  you  were  here,  and  speaks  of  your  lost  op- 
portunities. In  the  early  part  of  the  cruise  there  was 
considerable  dissatisfaction  in  the  expedition;  but  now 
things  pass  smoothly  and  pleasantly.  Dr.  Pickering  tells 
me  that  between  four  and  six  thousand  species  of  plants 
have  been  collected.  He  went  twice  to  the  summit  of 
the  Andes,  and  wherever  we  have  been,  he  is  earliest  off 

121 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT    DANA 

and  latest  back.  Couthouy,  to  our  great  sorrow,  is  away 
from  us  on  account  of  his  health.  He  took  cold  after  a 
severe  exposure  on  one  of  the  Navigator  Islands,  which 
settled  on  his  lungs.  His  health  would  not  permit  his 
accompanying  us  to  New  Zealand,  and  it  was  thought 
advisable  for  him  to  take  the  earliest  opportunity  of  going 
to  the  Sandwich  Islands.  He  left  Sydney  for  Tahiti,  and 
we  anxiously  hope  to  join  him  again  at  Oahu.  The  doc- 
tors at  Sydney  could  give  us  no  flattering  prospects  of 
his  recovery.  The  change  of  climate  may,  however,  give 
a  favorable  turn  to  his  complaint.  He  has  been  extremely 
active,  and  but  for  his  imprudent  zeal  he  might  be  with 
us  now  in  his  usual  health.  Hale  has  found  among  these 
islands  and  in  Australia  an  exceedingly  interesting  field 
for  philological  investigation,  and  you  will  find  on  our 
return  that  the  field  has  been  thoroughly  investigated 
and  many  novelties  brought  to  light.  Rich  has  done  so- 
so.  Peale  has  got  some  fine  birds  and  butterflies.  .  .  . 
Agate  is  very  busy,  sketching  and  taking  portraits  when 
not  engaged  in  making  botanical  drawings.  He  has  an 
admirable  series  of  portraits.  Unlike  those  of  the  French 
voyages,  they  may  be  trusted  as  not  only  characteristic, 
but  accurate  likenesses  of  the  individuals.  Drayton  has 
made  an  immense  collection  of  zoological  drawings.  He 
is  not  in  good  health,  but  has  frequent  ailings  which  lay 
him  up  occasionally  for  six  days  or  so;  he  smokes  too 
many  cigars  and  takes  too  much  medicine  to  be  well. 
Brackenridge,  in  the  botanical  department,  is  invaluable. 
He  has  suffered  somewhat  from  fever  and  ague,  which 
he  took  in  the  Peruvian  Andes,  but  has  now  recovered. 
And  now  shall  I  speak  of  myself  ?  This  reminds  me  of 
an  article  I  once  read  in  Rafinesquey s  Journal,  headed  (if 
I  remember  right)  '  American  Geologists.'  He  gives  a 
short  sketch  of  each  of  them  and  then  closes  with  a 
long  and  detailed  account  of  his  own  travels  and  personal 
history.  However,  believing  that  you  take  an  interest 
in  what  is  done  and  will  properly  interpret  my  feelings 
and  motives,  I  will  add  a  few  words  upon  the  results  of 
my  endeavors. 

"  In  the  geological  line,  I  shall  be  able  to  show  you 
some  long  manuscripts;  their  other  qualities  I  leave  for 
you  to  judge  of  at  a  future  day.  Accompanying  the 
manuscripts  there  are  about  one  hundred  sketches  of 

122 


SCIENTIFIC   RESEARCHES 

mountains,  craters,  basaltic  causeways  and  caverns,  faults 
and  dykes,  etc.  My  fossils,  which  include  a  large  col- 
lection of  the  coral  vegetation  of  Australia,  were  packed 
up  without  examination.  Since  arriving  among  the 
Feejees,  I  have  taken  hold  of  the  corals,  and  figured  175 
species,  with  the  animals  of  most  of  them.  Among 
Crustacea  I  have  made  collections  and  drawings  when 
geology  was  not  requiring  my  time.  My  drawings  are 
mostly  confined  to  the  smaller  Crustacea,  and  in  all  prob- 
ability very  few  will  turn  out  described  species.  I  count 
up  now  400  species,  figured  or  painted,  of  which  nearly 
150  belong  to  the  old  class  Entomostraca.  In  geology, 
I  shall  take  the  liberty  of  disputing  some  of  Darwin's 
views  (see  voyage  of  Beagle)  as  to  the  rise  of  the  Peruvian 
coast,  the  structure  of  the  Andes,  and  also  other  points 
which  I  leave  unmentioned,  as  I  have  dwelt  long  enough 
on  self. 

'  We  are  bound  from  this  place  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  and  we  look  with  anxiety  for  our  arrival  there. 
When  the  mail  comes  but  once  a  year,  the  opening  of 
the  letter-bag  is  a  matter  of  great  interest,  and  is  an- 
ticipated with  strangely  commingled  feelings.  There 
are  so 

Here,  with  this  unfinished  sentence,  the  pen  of  the 
writer  is  dropped.  Then  comes,  nearly  four  months 
later,  a  postscript : 

"  October  Qth.  We  reached  the  Sandwich  Islands  nine 
days  since,  after  a  tedious  voyage  of  fifty  days  from  the 
Feejees.  Ten  days  more  and  we  should  have  eaten  up 
the  last  of  our  provisions.  Everything  was  low  and  poor 
enough.  We  had  been  on  an  allowance  the  whole  of  the 
voyage.  I  am  rejoiced  to  find  Couthouy  here  in  good 
health.  He  is  not  wholly  free  of  his  complaint,  yet  is  so 
strong  that  a  few  days  before  our  arrival  he  ascended  the 
summit  of  the  highest  mountain  of  Hawaii,  14,000  feet, 
without  feeling  any  inconvenience  from  it.  We  learn 
now  that  we  shall  not  be  at  home  before  spring  of  1842. 
Many  make  sorry  faces  about  it,  but  the  northwest  coast 
still  remains  to  be  visited,  and  that  will  occupy  the  whole 
of  next  summer.  Our  stay  among  the  Feejees  was  pro- 
tracted to  three  months." 

123 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

TO   EDWARD   C.    HERRICK 

Mauna  Loa 

"SANDWICH  ISLANDS,  HONOLULU,  OAHU,  Nov.  30,  1840. 

"  Our  late  arrival  at  these  islands,  late  in  consequence 
of  a  three  months'  delay  among  the  Feejees,  will  lengthen 
our  cruise  nearly  a  year.  The  coming  summer  is  to  be 
spent,  as  we  now  expect,  on  the  northwest  coast,  and  we 
are  just  on  the  point  of  leaving  in  the  Peacock  on  a  win- 
ter's cruise  to  pass  away  the  intervening  time.  It  is 
rumored  that  we  shall  go  to  the  islands  lying  near  the 
equator  to  the  southward  and  westward,  the  Kingsmill 
group,  Ascension  Island,  etc. ;  the  Vincennes  remaining 
here. 

"  Captain  Wilkes  will  shortly  sail  for  Hilo,  on  Hawaii. 
He  intends  taking  his  pendulums  and  other  instruments 
to  the  summit  of  Mount  Loa,  about  14,000  feet  high, 
where  he  will  spend  a  fortnight  or  more  in  his  observa- 
tions. The  season  at  that  altitude  will  be  unpleasant 
from  cold  winds  and  snow ;  but  they  will  probably  pro- 
vide well  against  these  inconveniences.  Two  or  three 
hundred  natives  will  be  employed  in  carrying  up  the 
instruments,  the  portable  houses  to  contain  them,  etc., 
and  arrangements  are  already  made  for  them  to  start 
immediately  on  the  arrival  of  the  vessel.  We  of  the 
Peacock  have  been  favored  with  a  jaunt  of  ten  days 
on  Hawaii,  in  which  time  we  travelled  from  Kealakeakua 
Bay  (the  scene  of  Cook's  death)  across  to  Byron's  Bay. 
I  took  the  southern  route,  passed  over  about  170  miles, 
all  but  30  on  foot.  I  was  astonished  with  the  tameness 
of  the  lofty  Mauna  Loa.  I  have  never  seen  a  mountain 
one-third  its  height  so  utterly  destitute  of  all  sublimity 
or  grandeur  as  this  mountain  appeared  to  us,  walking  along 
at  its  foot.  It  is  an  evenly  rounded  elevation,  without 
one  valley  or  gorge,  one  peak  or  ridge,  to  diversify  its 
surface.  I  can  compare  its  shape  to  nothing  better  than 
a  saucer  turned  upside  down.  There  are  some  gullies 
and  slightly  elevated  ridges,  which  the  traveller  occasion- 
ally meets,  but  they  do  not  appear  in  the  distant  prospect. 
Its  slopes  are  so  even  and  gradual  that  the  top  is  much 
farther  off  than  appears  to  the  observer,  and  this  accounts 
for  his  disappointment.  The  volcano,  which  you  know 

124 


ASCENT   OF   MAUNA   LOA 

is  on  the  flanks  of  this  mountain,  about  4000  feet  up,  was 
in  considerable  action  while  we  were  there.  The  deep 
gulf,  which  forms  the  crater,  is  surrounded  by  precipitous 
walls  on  all  sides.  About  a  thousand  feet  down  there  is 
a  flat  terrace  running  around,  called  the  black  ledge,  which 
is  in  some  parts  half  a  mile  wide.  From  this  terrace  there 
is  a  further  descent  of  three  hundred  feet  by  equally  per- 
pendicular walls  of  rock,  at  the  bottom  of  which  is  the 
scene  of  action.  In  three  pools,  one  of  them  a  thousand 
feet  in  its  larger  diameter,  the  lava  was  briskly  boiling, — 
not  the  sluggish  fluid  we  generally  conceive  it  to  be,  but 
in  appearance  nearly  as  fluid  as  water.  I  descended  to 
the  lowest  depths,  wandered  over  the  heated  lavas, 
through  the  hot  vapors  and  sulphurous  gases,  and  reached 
one  of  the  boiling  pools.  The  surface  was  in  constant 
motion,  throwing  up  small  jets  six  or  eight  feet,  which 
fell  around  the  sides  of  the  pool.  There  was  no  explo- 
sion, and  only  a  dull  grumbling  sound.  All  was  as  quiet 
as  the  boiling  water  in  a  pot  over  a  kitchen  fire.  Occa- 
sional detonations,  however,  warned  us  of  the  dormant 
force  below.  At  night  the  scene  was  sublime  beyond 
description.  The  deep  red  glow  of  the  boiling  lake, 
reflected  by  the  walls  of  the  crater,  and  lighting  up  the 
canopy  of  clouds  which  overhung  this  fiery  gulf,  made  a 
most  sublime  and  awful  spectacle  at  night,  when  all  else 
around  was  black  darkness.  There  was  an  eruption 
about  six  months  since,  and  a  large  stream  flowed  down 
to  the  sea.  The  first  appearance  of  the  lava  stream  took 
place  about  eight  miles  from  the  crater.  The  stream 
near  the  sea  is  yet  hot  in  many  parts,  and  numerous 
steam  holes  are  scattered  over  the  surface.  But  I  am 
going  beyond  my  intended  bounds  in  my  remarks.  You 
know  nothing  is  for  publication. 

"  Last  August,  the  meteoric  shower  was  forgotten  by 
our  commodore.  Two  nights  were  cloudy,  and  the  other 
I  gave  directions  to  be  called,  which  were  forgotten,  and 
so  I  lost  it  also.  I  waked  about  half  an  hour  before  sun- 
rise and  saw  nothing  unusual.  November  13th  has  just 
passed.  I  was  on  my  way  to  Hilo  in  the  schooner  and 
half  forgot  it  myself,  and  was  again  forgotten  by  the  per- 
son I  directed  to  call  me.  However,  I  was  up  an  hour 
before  sunrise,  but  owing  to  the  unsteady  position  of  the 
schooner, — her  masts  and  sails  continually  changing  the 

125 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

quarter  of  the  heavens  open  to  view, — I  could  not  obtain 
any  satisfactory  estimate  of  the  number  during  the  hour, 
in  any  one  position.  I  was  struck  with  the  fewness  of 
them, — scarcely  equalling  an  ordinary  night.  It  was, 
however,  a  bad  time,  the  moon  having  passed  the  full 
but  a  day  or  two  before." 

TO   HIS  SISTER  HARRIET 

Discovery  of  Bowditch  Island :  Alarm  of  the  King 
"AT  SEA,  LAT.  30°  N.,  LONG.  178°  W.,  May  27,  1841. 

"  As  you  see  above,  we  are  not  far  from  the  Sandwich 
Islands ;  a  few  days  more,  we  trust,  will  terminate  a  long 
cruise  of  six  and  a  half  months,  affording  us  a  sight  of 
civilized  faces  again,  and  intercourse  with  many  friends 
endeared  to  us  at  our  former  visit  to  these  islands.  We 
are  sailing  along  with  a  gentle  breeze  on  a  sea  of  almost 
mill-pond  smoothness.  All  around  is  so  serene  and  quiet, 
the  air  so  pure  and  refreshingly  cool  to  us  who  for  a  long 
while  have  been  under  a  torrid  sun,  that  an  involuntary 
smile  of  delight  seems  to  pervade  the  whole  ship.  For  a 
few  days  past  the  sea  has  at  times  been  covered  with  a 
light  and  fragile  shell  of  bluish-purple  color,  called  by  the 
learned  lanthina.  Each  one  floats  along  under  a  little 
mass  of  imitation  foam,  made  by  inflating  with  air  a  thin 
cellular  sac,  attached  to  the  animal  near  its  head.  It  is 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  provisions  of  the  Creator.  It 
seems  not  only  to  float  the  animal  and  its  house,  but  is 
also  a  protection  from  the  sea-birds,  which  must  often 
mistake  this  imitation  foam  for  the  real  spots  of  froth,  and 
thus  let  their  victims  escape.  Along  with  the  lanthinas, 
we  find  a  little  blue  crab,  which  takes  to  the  shell  and 
cruises  around  with  it.  The  crab  sometimes  uses  its 
hinder  legs,  or  those  on  one  side,  as  oars,  while  he  holds 
on  by  the  others, and  thus  paddles  away  his  little  skiff  with 
an  air  of  authority,  as  if  he  were  the  rightful  owner.  Now 
and  then  he  swings  off  in  search  of  food  and  returns  again 
or  makes  for  some  other  shell  near  by,  which  he  occupies 
as  before,  without  disturbing  the  lawful  occupant,  till 
ready  for  another  predatory  excursion.  Such  are  some  of 
the  trifles  that  occasionally  divert  us  at  sea.  Albatrosses, 

126 


DISCOVERY   OF   BOWDITCH   ISLAND 

petrels,  and  other  birds  are  now  about  our  vessel,  and 
these,  with  an  occasional  shark  and  the  gambols  and  spout- 
ings  of  whales,  diversify  our  little  world  of  sky  and  water. 

"  I  have  lately  finished  a  letter  to  John,  which  will  give 
you  some  account  of  the  beginning  of  the  cruise  we  are 
just  finishing.  We  left  the  Sandwich  Islands  early  in  De- 
cember last,  to  spend  the  winter  months  under  the  equa- 
tor or  in  its  vicinity.  I  carried  John  along  to  the  Duke 
of  York's  Island,  north  of  the  Navigator  group.  From 
the  Duke  of  York's  we  sailed  for  the  Duke  of  Clarence's, 
which  we  passed  without  landing.  The  next  night  we 
came  near  running  down  a  low  island  not  in  the  charts. 
It  was  seen  by  the  officer  of  the  mid-watch  just  in  time 
to  avoid  its  dangerous  reefs.  As  it  proved  to  be  a  new 
discovery,  we  named  it  Bowditch  island.  We  delayed  a 
day  or  two  in  the  neighborhood,  and  visited  the  principal 
town.  The  island  is  one  of  the  low  coral  structures  so 
common  in  these  seas.  A  few  low  green  islets  are  dis- 
tributed along  a  coral  reef,  which  curve  around,  enclosing 
a  lagoon.  The  village  was  situated  upon  one  of  the 
smallest  of  these  islets  on  the  west  side  of  the  island,  and 
was  so  hidden  by  the  crowded  cocoanut  palms,  that  we 
could  see  from  the  ship  only  a  few  huts  and  low  coral 
walls  along  the  edge  of  the  grove. 

"  Nearing  the  shore  in  our  boats,  we  observed  the 
natives  collected  together  on  the  coral  flats  in  front  of 
the  village.  One  or  two  advanced  toward  us,  waving  a 
white  mat  as  an  emblem  of  peace,  and  thus  encouraged, 
we  landed  and  followed  on,  with  our  arms,  however,  at 
our  sides,  ready  for  any  emergency.  Instead  of  hostility, 
we  found  the  natives  terrified  with  our  strange  appear- 
ance. The  king,  a  venerable  old  man  of  gray  hairs, 
trembled  in  every  limb,  and  a  tear  now  and  then  started 
down  his  affrighted  face.  Cocoanuts  and  fine  mats — 
almost  their  only  property — were  brought  forward  to 
conciliate  us,  and  thrown  in  heaps  at  our  feet.  Many 
made  very  significant  motions,  intimating  that  we  were 
gods  come  down  from  the  sun.  We  showed  them  every 
kindness  we  could  devise,  giving  them  presents  of  fish- 
hooks, knives,  and  various  trinkets,  and  endeavored  to 
satisfy  them  that  we  were  men  like  themselves.  But 
when  we  left  them  to  return  aboard,  they  asked  us 
whether  we  were  now  going  back  to  the  sun.  To  pacify 

127 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

the  old  king  and  his  subjects,  we  continued  sitting  with 
them  for  an  hour  or  more.  I  felt  a  deep  pity  for  the  old 
man.  His  gray  locks  hung  thickly  about  a  face  marked 
with  a  dignity  and  gentleness  that  would  have  become  a 
royal  sage.  A  face  so  venerable  agitated  with  terror, 
with  a  tear  trickling  from  his  bedimmed  eyes,  and  decrepit 
limbs  trembling  with  fright,  called  forth  our  strongest 
sympathies.  The  natives  finally  became  somewhat 
familiar  with  us,  and  we  took  the  liberty  of  going  to  the 
village.  The  women  were  off  in  their  canoes  within  the 
lagoon,  lying  a  long  distance  from  the  shores.  A  green, 
velvety  moss  covered  the  village  plain  beneath  the  shades 
of  the  tall  palms.  The  houses  were  scattered  through 
the  grove  without  much  regularity,  and  though  rude  in 
structure,  were  yet  neat  and  well  became  the  scene 
around.  They  are  low  buildings  containing  but  a  single 
apartment.  The  roof  comes  down  within  thirty  inches 
of  the  ground,  and  is  thatched  with  grass  and  leaves. 
The  door  is  low  and  small.  The  furniture  is  of  the 
simplest  kind,  consisting  of  a  few  cocoanut  shells,  as 
drinking-cups  or  water-vessels,  and  mats  that  are  spread 
on  the  ground  to  sit  or  sleep  on.  I  had  longed  to  see  a 
race  of  savages  wholly  unacquainted  with  white  men,  in 
order  to  realize  the  description  of  Cook  and  other  naviga- 
tors, and  here  I  have  been  gratified.  We  gave  an  account 
of  them  to  the  missionaries  at  the  Navigator  group, 
whither  we  afterwards  sailed,  and  probably  this  island 
will  before  long  be  blessed  with  the  light  of  the  Gospel. 
We  were  too  short  a  time  with  them  to  learn  much  of 
their  superstitions.  Their  god  was  a  rude  column  planted 
in  the  ground  and  covered  with  mats. 

'  We  reached  the  Navigators  a  few  days  after — the  6th 
of  February — and  once  more  enjoyed  the  society  of  the 
missionaries  of  these  islands.  On  Tutuila  the  state  of 
the  natives  was  peculiarly  interesting.  There  had  been 
a  continual  revival  for  some  months.  Nearly  all  were 
inquiring  and  joined  in  religious  devotions,  and  many 
have  been  united  to  the  church.  Mr.  Murray,  the  earli- 
est missionary  there,  a  most  devoted  Christian,  has  been 
absent  for  a  while  to  visit  the  missionary  station  in  the 
South  Pacific,  with  the  hope  of  improving  his  health, 
now  much  debilitated  by  his  constant  exertions  and  con- 
finement at  the  station." 

128 


THE    KINGSMILL   CANNIBALS 
TO   HIS   MOTHER 

Exposure  to  the  Cannibals  of  the  Kingsmill  Islands 

"June  7,  1841. 

"  Three  times  we  have  made  islands  at  night,  and  de- 
scried them  through  the  darkness  just  in  time  to  avoid 
striking.  The  islands  were  thickly  scattered  through  the 
sea,  all  of  them  low,  and  some,  naked  reefs,  which  only 
give  notice  at  night  of  their  frightful  nearness  by  the  dull 
roar  of  the  surf.  Moreover,  strong  currents,  varying 
often  in  direction,  set  us  at  times  far  from  our  reckoning 
and  increased  our  dangers.  Once  we  got  aground.  It 
was  an  hour  before  daylight.  During  the  night  we  had 
drifted  twenty  miles,  from  the  vicinity  of  one  of  the 
Kingsmill  Islands  to  the  shores  of  another;  and  the  first 
notice  we  had  of  our  perilous  situation  was  the  heavy 
grinding  of  the  ship's  bottom  on  the  coral  sand.  Provi- 
dentially the  ship  had  been  laid  to  (her  headway  stopped) 
a  few  minutes  before,  and  we  touched  but  gently,  and 
shortly  afterwards  we  were  again  free,  though  still  un- 
certain in  which  direction  safety  was  to  be  found,  as  we 
knew  not  where  we  were.  We  were,  however,  guided 
out,  and  escaped  without  further  injury.  Had  we  been 
under  way,  we  should  undoubtedly  have  stuck  hard  and 
fast,  and  might  have  had  a  long  residence  with  the  can- 
nibals of  the  Kingsmill  Islands. 

"  On  the  previous  evening  our  schooner  was  left 
aground  in  the  lagoon  that  forms  the  centre  of  the  island. 
She  was  compelled  to  wait  during  the  fall  and  rise  of  the 
tide  before  she  could  get  off,  and  she  succeeded  in  rescuing 
herself  at  the  same  hour  with  ourselves.  A  few  canoes 
came  off  during  the  night;  their  good  intentions  were 
suspected,  and  a  few  shots  fired  to  scare  them.  The  war- 
conches  were  heard  during  the  night  from  every  part  of 
the  island,  and  in  the  morning  they  saw  evidence  that  a 
strong  attack  upon  them  was  meditated  by  the  natives; 
but  by  their  early  escape  from  the  lagoon  they  avoided 
the  necessity  of  fighting  and  firing  in  good  earnest  for 
self-defense." 


129 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

TO   CAPTAIN   WILKES 
Shipwreck 

* ( Loss  of  the  '  Peacock  '  on  the  Bar  of  the  Columbia  River, 
July  18,  184.1 

"  In  reply  to  your  orders  of  July  3Oth,  requesting  a 
statement  of  the  facts  relative  to  the  loss  of  the  Peacock 
and  the  causes  of  the  same,  I  make  the  following  report 
under  my  personal  observations. 

I  stood  by  Captain  Hudson  when,  after  two  unsuc- 
cessful attempts  to  find  a  clear  passage  through  the 
breakers,  he  again  put  the  ship's  head  about  and  steered 
for  the  river.  The  officers  at  the  masthead  reported  an 
open  passage,  a  little  to  the  northward  of  our  previous 
position,  and  approaching  it.  There  were  no  breakers 
to  deter  us  from  proceeding.  As  this  was  the  only  place 
we  had  seen  thus  clear,  I  felt  fully  assured  that  this  was 
the  passage  across  the  bar,  and  was  gratified  when  Cap- 
tain Hudson  gave  orders  to  head  in,  confidently  expect- 
ing that  in  another  hour  we  should  be  at  our  anchorage. 
The  first  intimation  we  had  of  shallow  water  was  the 
striking  of  the  ship.  Till  then  the  sea  had  not  broken 
on  this  part  of  the  bar.  Soon  after  we  were  surrounded 
by  heavy  breakers,  and  the  ship,  which  refused  to  obey 
her  helm,  continued  forging  farther  on  the  bar,  striking 
with  great  violence.  The  afternoon  of  Sunday  and  the 
following  night  the  destruction  of  the  ship  was  hourly 
expected,  and  before  morning  the  working  of  the  pumps 
was  insufficient  to  keep  the  water  from  gaining  in  her 
hold.  On  Monday  morning,  preparations  were  early 
made  for  landing  the  crew  on  the  adjoining  shore,  Baker's 
Bay,  about  two  miles  distant.  The  violence  of  the 
breakers  had  somewhat  abated  at  low  tide,  and  when  the 
tide  changed,  the  boats  were  rapidly  dispatched.  A 
canoe  arrived  alongside  just  before  starting  the  boats  and 
afforded  us  a  pilot  to  the  shore.  The  scientific  corps  and 
the  public  documents  were  sent  in  the  first  three  boats 
and  the  canoe ;  and  the  boats,  returning,  continued  to  take 
off  the  crew  till  the  height  of  the  tide  again  made  heavy 
breakers  upon  the  bar  and  rendered  it  unsafe.  One  boat 
was  capsized,  and  the  crew, who  narrowly  escaped  drown- 

130 


LIFE   AMONG  THE   FEEJEES 

ing,  were  picked  up  by  another  boat  near  at  hand.  The 
boats  at  last  returned  without  reaching  the  ship,  leaving 
about  twenty  persons  on  board,  among  whom  was  the  first 
lieutenant  and  captain.  In  the  afternoon,  at  ebb-tide, 
the  boats  again  left  for  the  ship  and  finally  reached  her. 
In  the  course  of  two  hours  they  returned  with  all  that 
remained  on  the  wreck.  As  the  captain  landed  from  the 
last  boat,  he  was  received  with  hearty  cheers.  We  were 
all  ashore,  and  we  felt  convinced  that,  under  the  Divine 
blessing,  we  were  indebted  to  the  coolness  and  judgment 
of  Captain  Hudson  for  our  safety.  Our  clothes  were  left 
aboard,  by  order,  to  be  brought  ashore  in  case  it  was  pos- 
sible after  the  crew  were  safe.  The  next  morning  the 
ship  was  under  water." 

TO   A   COMPANY   OF  CHILDREN   IN   UTICA 
The  Ways  of  the  Feejees  Half  a  Century  Ago 

(  Written  by  Dana  after  his  return) 

In  a  letter  dated  at  Washington,  in  March,  1843,  aP- 
parently  written  at  the  request  of  a  Sunday-school  in 
Utica,  Dana  makes  the  following  comments  upon  the  Fee- 
jees. The  letter  repeats  some  of  the  phrases  employed 
in  the  writer's  letters  to  his  family,  but  is  so  characteristic 
that  it  will  not  be  abridged.  It  gives  in  a  familiar  style 
the  observations  of  a  naturalist  upon  the  manners  and 
customs  of  the  primitive  islanders,  and  is  quite  worth 
reading. 

"  .  .  .  At  the  Feejee  Islands,  which  are  situated 
within  the  warm  regions  of  the  tropics,  the  year  is  one 
perpetual  summer  and  the  trees  are  always  green.  The 
cocoanut  and  breadfruit  grow  there,  and  other  produc- 
tions of  warm  climates,  and  the  forests  with  their  vines 
and  flowers  are  rich  and  beautiful.  Among  the  cocoanut 
groves,  and  beneath  their  shade,  lie  the  clustered  huts  or 
villages  of  the  natives.  In  the  distance  the  houses  look  a 
little  like  stacks  of  hay,  for  the  roofs,  which  come  down 
almost  to  the  ground,  are  thickly  covered  with  dried  grass 
or  leaves,  instead  of  shingles.  The  sides  of  the  hut,  on 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

account  of  the  extent  of  the  roof,  are  only  four  or  five 
feet  high,  and  the  people  have  to  stoop  to  go  in  and  out. 
The  weather  is  so  warm  that  these  sides  are  left  open,  or 
are  closed  only  with  mats  on  the  side  exposed  to  the 
winds. 

'  These  houses  or  huts  are  nothing  but  open  sheds — a 
single  room  without  chairs  or  tables,  without  a  stool  or 
a  bed.  The  floor,  which  is  nothing  but  the  bare  ground, 
is  covered  with  mats  upon  which  the  men,  women,  and 
children  are  sitting  or  lying  down.  Fishing-poles  and 
nets,  and  rolls  of  large  mats  or  bundles  of  native  cloth, 
lie  across  the  beams  overhead ;  and  a  few  cocoanut  shells, 
used  as  drinking-cups  or  water-vessels,  hang  up  against 
these  beams,  with  a  calabash  or  two  of  water,  and  per- 
haps a  bundle  of  cooked  food  tied  up  in  leaves.  This  is 
in  general  the  house  furniture  of  the  savages  throughout 
the  Pacific  islands.  Their  huts  are  usually  kept  clean, 
and  when  a  guest  arrives,  instead  of  offering  a  chair,  as 
with  us,  a  mat  is  spread  out  for  him  to  sit  down  on.  A 
mat  or  large  leaf,  laid  on  the  floor,  forms  their  table-cloth 
and  table,  and  their  fingers  serve  for  knife  and  fork.  The 
common  apartment  just  described  is  also  their  common 
bedroom  at  night.  They  lie  down  like  cattle  together,  a 
pillow  consisting  of  a  stick  like  a  broom-handle  supported 
at  each  end  on  short  legs,  and  a  cover  of  native  cloth. 

"  No  books,  not  a  scrap  of  writing,  is  to  be  seen  about 
their  huts.  In  schooling  they  are  behind  the  very  small- 
est of  you,  my  children,  for  they  do  not  know  their  A, 
B,  C's.  Indeed,  they  have  no  alphabet,  and  the  thought 
never  occurred  to  them  of  spelling  words  with  letters  and 
writing  them  down.  At  one  of  the  Navigator  Islands, 
when  first  visited  by  missionaries,  a  missionary  wished  to 
send  for  a  hatchet  to  a  white  man  that  was  building  a 
house  a  short  distance  off;  and  after  writing  on  a  chip, 
as  he  had  no  paper  at  hand,  he  gave  the  chip  to  a  native, 
telling  him  that  if  he  would  take  it  to  the  white  man, 
pointing  yonder  to  the  carpenter,  he  would  give  him  the 
hatchet.  The  native  looked  up  into  his  face  to  see  if  he 
was  in  earnest ;  for  he  thought  the  missionary  was  trifling 
with  him  in  sending  him  off  with  a  chip.  After  some 
hesitation,  he  at  last  trots  off  to  the  place,  and,  doubting 
still,  yet  with  a  look  of  curiosity,  he  cautiously  offers  the 
chip  to  the  carpenter.  The  native  expected  to  see  him 

132 


BOWDITCH   ISLANDERS    AGAIN 

throw  it  down  in  anger  that  he  should  have  offered  him 
a  thing  so  worthless — a  mere  chip.  But  the  carpenter's 
eye  catches  the  writing  upon  it ;  he  takes  it,  looks  at  it 
seriously  a  moment,  and  at  once,  without  a  word,  goes 
for  the  hatchet  and  gives  it  to  the  native.  He  was 
amazed.  He  picked  up  the  chip,  which  the  carpenter 
had  dropped,  and  turned  it  over  and  over,  eying  it  on 
every  side.  Finally  he  concluded  that  the  white  man's 
Spirit  of  God  was  in  the  chip — that  the  marks  of  the  mis- 
sionary had  put  the  spirit  there,  and  that  the  spirit  had 
made  known  to  the  white  man  that  the  missionary  wanted 
the  hatchet.  He  wrapped  the  chip  carefully  in  a  piece  of 
tapa,  or  native  cloth,  and  then  with  loud  yells  and  violent 
gestures,  ran  off  to  his  companions  to  tell  them  about  the 
wonderful  chip. 

"  I  will  tell  you  another  instance  to  show  you  further 
the  ignorance  of  the  Pacific  savages  before  the  intercourse 
with  foreigners.  At  a  small  island  visited  by  the  squad- 
ron, some  distance  from  the  Feejees,  the  natives  knew  of 
only  two  other  islands  in  the  world,  and  these  were  but 
a  few  miles'  distance  from  their  own.  These  three  little 
spots  of  land,  with  the  water  around  and  the  sun  and  sky 
overhead,  constituted,  as  they  thought,  the  whole  world. 
It  would  take  but  a  very  small  geography  to  contain  all 
they  know  of  our  earth.  They  would  have  nothing  to 
say  of  the  continents,  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  and  America, 
for  these  do  not  exist,  to  their  knowledge — nothing  of 
any  land  but  these  three  little  islands,  not  over  twenty- 
five  square  miles  in  all.  When  our  ship  came,  they  sup- 
posed we  were  from  the  sun.  They  knew  that  we  were 
not  from  either  of  the  other  two  islands,  for  we  were 
white  men,  the  first  they  had  ever  seen;  and  instead  of 
canoes,  we  sailed  in  a  large  ship  which  they  called  a  float- 
ing island.  They  thought  we  might  have  sailed  off  from 
the  sun,  when  it  comes  down  to  the  water  at  night,  or 
leaves  it  when  rising  in  the  morning.  They  therefore 
received  us  as  beings  from  another  world.  The  affrighted 
people  thought  us  gods,  and  brought  out  large  numbers 
of  cocoanuts  and  mats,  and  all  the  little  property  they 
had,  as  a  peace  offering.  The  chief,  a  venerable  old  man 
of  gray  hairs,  trembled  from  head  to  foot,  and  even  shed 
tears  in  his  terror.  They  were  glad  when  we  left  them, 
for  they  dreaded  us  to  the  last,  and  as  the  boats  were 

133 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

pushing  off  from  the  shore,  they  asked  us  in  their  native 
tongue,  pointing  to  the  sun,  'You  going  back  again  ? ' 

*  The  Feejees  live  in  so  warm  a  climate  that  they  have 
little  need  of  clothing,  and  in  fact  both  men  and  women 
go  almost  naked,  and  the  little  children  quite  so,  till  they 
are  ten  or  eleven  years  old.  They  are  a  dark,  reddish- 
brown  race  of  savages,  and  are  rendered  the  more  savage 
in  appearance  by  an  enormous  head  of  black  frizzled  hair. 
They  comb  it  out  from  the  head,  and  let  it  grow  till  it 
forms  a  bushy  covering  three  or  four  inches  thick,  and 
looks  like  a  huge  cap  made  of  bearskin.  It  is  often 
dressed  for  the  day  by  filling  it  with  clay  or  mud,  and 
children  as  well  as  men  and  women  may  be  often  seen 
with  their  heads  thus  plastered  over,  sometimes  with 
white  lime  and  sometimes  with  a  red  or  white  clay ;  after 
working  or  walking  awhile,  the  mud  comes  streaming 
down  with  the  perspiration  and  dries  in  dirty  streaks 
across  their  faces.  Like  the  inhabitants  of  more  enlight- 
ened nations  they  pierce  the  ears  to  receive  a  jewel  or 
ornament ;  but  fashion  with  the  Feejee  leads  him  to  en- 
large the  hole  till  it  will  take  in  a  large  shell  an  inch  or 
more  in  thickness,  or  will  hold  two  or  three  cigars,  or  an 
old  pipe  and  a  bundle  of  tobacco,  for  this  nauseous  weed 
has  already  reached  those  shores. 

"  On  landing  among  them,  they  flocked  around  us  in 
great  numbers  and  expressed  surprise  at  everything  they 
saw.  '  Venaka,  venaka  '  (good,  good),  was  the  cry  on  all 
sides,  as  they  examined  our  buttons,  our  clothes,  our 
shoes,  hats,  knives,  pistols,  etc.,  and  especially  the  white- 
ness of  our  skins.  We  were  generally  in  such  numbers 
or  so  near  our  ship  that  there  was  little  danger  in  going 
freely  among  them,  for  they  would  have  been  glad  of  the 
chance  to  have  killed  us. 

'  You  will  think,  my  dear  children,  that  the  Feejees 
must  look  quite  savage  enough  without  artificial  aids,  but 
when  getting  ready  for  a  fight  they  make  themselves 
more  hideous  still  by  painting  their  faces.  Some  of  them 
blacken  it  all  over ;  others  paint  it  half  black  and  half  red ; 
others,  all  black,  except  a  ring  of  red  around  each  eye,  or 
a  few  streaks  of  red  on  the  forehead  or  face.  Imagine  to 
yourselves  three  or  four  hundred  half-naked  savages, with 
their  black  or  black-and-red  faces,  each  bearing  a  heavy 
war-club  or  a  long  spear,  and  the  whole  dancing  and 

134 


WARS   OF   THE   FEEJEES 

flourishing  their  clubs  and  spears  in  all  the  attitudes  of 
war  to  the  music  of  the  loud  war-songs, — and  you  have 
before  you  a  very  common  scene  among  these  savages. 
They  are  now  ready  for  the  battle,  and  are  engaged  in 
the  war-dance, — looking  and  acting  more  like  a  band  of 
fiends  from  the  world  of  darkness  than  human  beings.  .  .  . 

"  The  Feejees  are  engaged  in  almost  constant  wars. 
The  people  living  on  the  seacoast  have  usually  an  upper 
town  or  citadel,  built  on  the  top  of  some  high  hill  or 
mountain  peak,  to  which  they  betake  themselves  in  case 
of  an  attack  from  sea.  You  descry  these  towns  from  a 
long  distance,  situated  on  some  almost  inaccessible  sum- 
mit, where  there  is  barely  room  enough  to  plant  their 
houses.  At  one  place  we  found  that  the  son  of  an  old 
chief  had  formed  a  party  and  rebelled  against  his  father; 
and  the  old  chief,  for  the  safety  of  himself  and  his  adher- 
ents, had  fled  to  the  mountain  town,  which  was  perched 
like  a  bird's  nest  in  the  very  top  of  a  peak  a  thousand 
feet  high.  Our  captain,  after  a  few  days,  succeeded  in 
getting  the  son  and  father  aboard  ship,  and  obtained  a 
promise  of  reconciliation.  The  father  was  glad  to  stop 
fighting,  and  warmly  welcomed  his  son  again  to  his  affec- 
tions. But  we  had  left  them  only  a  short  time  before  we 
learnt  that  the  war  had  been  renewed.  We  lay  at  anchor 
for  nearly  a  month  off  a  large  and  populous  town  on  one 
of  the  islands,  and  became  quite  interested  in  the  chief 
and  his  people.  Presents  were  often  exchanged.  He 
gave  us  large  tortoises  and  pigs,  bananas  and  other  kinds 
of  fruit ;  and  we  gave  him  knives  and  hatchets,  and  cotton 
cloth,  which  they  value  much.  I  was  often  out  with  them 
in  their  canoes,  sailing  around  the  coral  reefs.  Since 
leaving  there,  we  have  heard  that  the  place  has  been  en- 
tirely laid  waste,  and  the  people  either  massacred  or 
driven  to  the  mountains — and  all  this  because  the  chief 
refused  the  king  of  the  islands  his  daughter  for  a  wife. 

"  The  natives  stand  in  constant  dread  of  one  another, 
and  usually  go  armed  even  in  their  daily  intercourse. 
They  have  little  regard  for  life,  and  the  most  trifling 
thing  will  induce  them  to  commit  murder;  and  this  is 
true  throughout  the  Pacific  where  there  are  no  mission- 
aries to  teach  them  better.  At  the  Navigator  Islands,  a 
native  acknowledged  to  us  that  he  had  killed  an  Ameri- 
can sailor  for  his  jacket.  Another,  for  as  good  a  reason, 

'35 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

has  murdered  four  or  five  sailors,  and  one  of  them  lay 
sick  at  his  house  when  he  came  up  with  his  club  and  with 
savage  coolness  knocked  him  in  the  head. 

'  Their  wars  are  occasionally  very  bloody.  When  a 
village  is  taken,  the  men  are  put  to  death,  and  the  women 
and  children  are  made  prisoners;  sometimes  the  boys 
are  driven  in  a  band  to  the  town  of  their  cruel  conquerors, 
who  then  set  their  own  children  to  work  killing  them  with 
clubs  to  teach  them  how  to  fight.  What  schooling  this, 
my  children!  But  such  is  education  among  the  Feejees, 
— they  are  taught  every  species  of  vice :  to  lie,  steal,  and 
murder,  and  to  glory,  too,  in  their  brutality.  He  is  the 
best  warrior  who  can  butcher  his  fellow-man  with  the 
most  coolness,  and  this  is  the  height  of  their  ambition. 
But  this  is  not  all.  They  are  cannibals.  They  not  only 
murder,  but  cook  and  eat  their  murdered  victims.  The 
whole  village  assembles  at  the  feast,  and  the  night  is  one 
of  general  debauchery.  The  body,  which  has  been  baked 
as  they  would  bake  a  pig,  is  pulled  to  pieces  and  devoured 
with  hearty  appetites.  The  dance  and  song  follow,  and 
scenes  too  horrid  for  description,  and  these,  their  cannibal 
orgies,  they  continue  till  daylight. 

'  While  at  anchor  off  a  Feejee  village  we  were  informed 
that  two  of  their  men  had  been  killed  a  few  days  before 
in  a  fight  with  a  neighboring  village,  and  eaten  by  the 
murderers.  A  few  weeks  afterwards,  at  early  daylight, 
we  dropped  anchor  at  this  place,  and  the  anchor  was  no 
sooner  down  than  the  water  was  alive  with  canoes,  pull- 
ing toward  our  ship.  As  they  reached  us  we  perceived 
that  some  of  them  had  human  bones  in  their  hands  and 
other  bones  were  lying  in  the  canoes.  Soon  after,  they 
climbed  up  the  ship's  sides  and  brought  their  bones  with 
them,  and  while  aboard  continued  eating  the  human  flesh, 
as  unconscious  of  notice  as  we  would  eat  an  apple.  They 
had  just  finished  the  carousals  of  the  night,  and  these 
were  the  remains  of  the  cannibal  feast.  The  skull  of  one 
of  the  men  that  was  eaten  was  purchased  of  them,  and  is 
now  at  Washington.  A  large  charred  spot  on  the  top  of 
the  head  tells  its  own  tale  of  horror. 

'  We  were  told  that  they  sometimes  keep  their  prison- 
ers penned  up,  and  take  them  out  as  the  appetite  of  the 
chief  calls  for  gratification ;  and  at  times,  if  without  their 
victims,  a  slave  is  butchered  for  the  purpose.  There  is 

136 


RELIGION   OF   THE   FEEJEES 

no  doubt  that  they  have  actually  a  relish  for  human  flesh, 
for  they  acknowledge  that  it  is  better  than  roasted  pig, 
and  say  that  Feejee  is  better  than  white  man. 

"  I  will  tell  you  now  a  few  things  about  the  religion  of 
these  savages,  for,  bad  as  they  are,  they  have  their  priests 
and  their  gods ;  and  their  gods,  too,  are  spirits,  for  they 
do  not  make  idols.  These  spirit  gods,  however,  are 
scarcely  better  than  the  idols  of  other  heathen.  Even 
those  savages  that  worship  idols  believe  that  their  gods 
are  spirits;  but  think  that  they  will  come  down  and  dwell 
in  the  carved  block,  after  certain  prayers  and  ceremonies 
performed  by  the  priests,  so  that  the  idol  takes  the  place 
in  their  minds  of  the  spirit  god  it  represents.  They  often 
try  to  embody  their  ideas  with  regard  to  the  character  of 
their  gods,  in  the  features  or  shape  of  the  wooden  god, 
and  the  grotesque  and  often  disgusting  images  they  thus 
make  show  how  debased  are  their  conceptions  of  the  God 
of  Heaven.  They  sometimes  make  the  idol  with  horns, 
and  the  face  grinning  most  frightfully ;  sometimes  with 
the  tongue  run  out  twice  its  natural  length,  or  with  some 
feature  distorted;  and  sometimes  put  the  head  of  an 
animal  on  the  body  of  a  man,  and  you  would  think  from 
seeing  them  that  they  worshipped  nothing  but  the 
devil,  rather  than  the  God  we  worship.  They  are  gods 
that  they  dread,  and  nearly  all  their  ceremonies  are  for 
conciliating  a  being  they  fear,  instead  of  an  homage  to 
one  they  love.  The  gods,  as  they  think,  can  eat  and 
drink,  dance  and  rolic,  and  can  look  with  pleasure  on 
their  heathenish  practices,  even  the  butchery  of  war  and 
the  cannibal  feast. 

"  But  let  me  return  to  the  Feejees.  As  I  have  said, 
they  worship  spirits  and  make  no  idols;  yet  in  their  con- 
ceptions they  give  a  definite  form  to  these  spirits.  The 
great  god  is  a  huge  snake  that  lives  in  a  cave  in  the 
mountains  of  the  largest  Feejee  island.  None  now  living 
pretend  to  have  seen  him,  but  I  believe  they  say  a  long 
while  ago  their  priests  had  communication  with  the  Great 
Snake.  Besides  this  god  there  are  other  spirits  of  differ- 
ent grades  and  powers.  One,  the  second  in  rank,  is  the 
Son  of  the  Great  Snake,  and,  in  their  superstitions,  stands 
at  the  door  of  the  cave  and  receives  the  prayers  of  the 
people,  to  pass  them  to  his  father.  Each  man  has  his 
spirit  or  guardian  angel  to  whom  his  prayers  are  more  es- 

137 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

pecially  offered,  and  every  object  in  nature,  trees  as  well 
as  animals,  the  fountain  and  the  brook,  are  supposed  to 
be  attended  by  certain  spiritual  beings.  Various  animals 
are  held  sacred  among  them.  The  most  common  of  these 
is  a  water-snake,  banded  with  white  and  black  colors, 
which  we  often  saw  swimming  about  our  ship.  Some- 
times each  village  or  family  has  its  own  sacred  animal — 
usually  a  fish  of  some  kind — and  they  deem  it  a  sure 
presage  of  death  to  kill  one  of  them ;  and  so  firmly  is 
this  believed  that  death  will  follow  through  fear  alone. 

"  In  each  village  there  are  one  or  more  spirit  houses 
or  temples  which  may  be  distinguished  from  the  other 
houses  by  a  higher  and  sharper  roof.  In  other  respects, 
neither  inside  nor  out,  is  there  much  to  attract  atten- 
tion. Here  the  people  bring  their  first-fruits  as  an  offering 
to  the  gods.  Piles  of  large  cocoanuts,  fruit,  vegetables, 
or  fish  may  sometimes  be  seen  here.  They  lie  for  a  while, 
and  then  are  taken  and  eaten  by  the  priests.  There, 
too,  the  priest  offers  prayers  for  the  people.  In  these 
prayers  they  ask  for  success  in  war  and  the  destruction  of 
their  enemies,  a  prosperous  voyage  in  their  canoes,  good 
crops,  or  luck  in  fishing,  health  and  life,  a  good  dance 
and  happy  feast,  and  any  gratification  their  savage  natures 
suggest.  The  priests  pretend  to  look  into  the  future,  and 
the  people,  from  the  chief  down,  have  so  much  confidence 
in  them  that  they  dare  not  go  to  war  or  enter  upon  any- 
thing of  importance  without  first  consulting  them.  If 
the  priest  assures  them  of  good  luck,  they  go,  and  are 
confident  of  it;  but  if  of  hard  luck,  they  will  not  move  a 
step.  Before  revealing  future  events,  the  priest  pretends 
to  be  for  a  while  under  the  influence  of  the  spirit,  and 
during  that  state  of  inspiration  the  future  is  supposed  to 
be  made  known.  His  body  shakes  most  violently  in 
every  limb  and  writhes  as  if  in  torture,  while  another 
stands  by  and  with  a  word  every  now  and  then  urges  and 
encourages  the  spirit  in  his  operations.  The  shaking  fit 
continues  till  nature  is  almost  exhausted.  When  at  last 
ended,  he  declares  in  a  solemn  manner  the  oracle  which, 
as  they  think,  has  been  revealed  to  him,  and  his  words 
are  received  as  the  words  of  God. 

"  Besides  offerings  of  fruit  and  vegetables,  they  also 
make  sacrifices  to  propitiate  their  deities, and  occasionally, 
when  any  calamity  is  dreaded,  or  great  misfortune  has 

138 


CLOSE   OF   THE   EXPEDITION 

happened,  or  disease  or  famine  prevails,  they  think  their 
god  is  so  angry  with  them  that  he  will  not  be  conciliated 
with  the  usual  offering  of  pigs,  so  they  select  one  of  their 
own  number  and  butcher  him  to  appease  the  angry  deity, 
as  if  by  adding  murder  to  all  their  other  vices  they  could 
please  God. 

'  The  customs  of  Feejee  society  always  require  them 
to  cut  off  a  joint  of  the  little  finger  for  every  near  relative 
that  dies.  I  have  often  taken  little  children  by  the  hand 
and  found  one  or  two  joints  of  their  finger  gone,  and  it 
is  common  for  grown  people  to  be  deprived  of  the  little 
finger  of  both  hands.  They  have  cut  off  one  joint  after 
the  other,  till  nothing  is  left.  They  are  so  cold-hearted 
that  they  have  no  tears  to  shed  for  a  deceased  relative, 
and  the  custom  of  society  therefore  requires  that  they 
should  amputate  a  finger-joint  to  show  their  grief.  But 
even  this  sacrifice  is  too  small  when  a  chief  dies.  Two 
or  three  of  his  favorite  wives  are  required  to  die,  and  are 
buried  with  him  to  accompany  him  on  his  passage  to 
heaven.  These  women  are  strangled  and  are  laid  out  for 
burial  at  the  same  time  with  the  chief.  So  completely 
are  they  controlled  by  the  customs  of  society  or  their 
superstitions,  that  they  will  offer  their  own  necks  to  the 
rope  that  is  drawn  around  them  by  the  savage  execu- 
tioner. .  .  ." 

If  there  are  letters  extant  from  Dana  with  respect  to 
the  latter  part  of  his  voyage,  they  have  escaped  my 
observation.  On  the  homeward  route  there  was  little 
opportunity  for  postal  communications. 


139 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE   REPORTS   OF  THE   EXPEDITION;    1842   ONWARD 

Preparation  of  Three  Quarto  Reports  on  the  Geology,  the  Zoophytes,  and 
the  Crustacea  of  the  Expedition — In  Washington  and  New  Haven — 
Difficulties  Respecting  the  Publication  of  the  Reports — Letters  to 
Gray — Characteristics  of  the  Three  Reports. 

FROM  this  time  forward  the  letters  of  Dana  are  of  a 
different  character.  There  are  no  more  tales  of 
adventure  in  the  distant  seas,  and  the  confidences  of  an 
absent  son  to  his  parents  are  not  as  frequent  as  they  were, 
nor  as  detailed,  though  they  lose  nothing  in  affection. 
On  the  other  hand,  relations  were  quickly  established 
with  the  foremost  naturalists  in  America  and  Europe. 
For  several  years — more  than  a  decade — the  absorbing 
duties  of  the  explorer  consisted  in  the  preparation  of 
three  voluminous  reports  entrusted  to  him.  Mr.  Dana 
was  first  appointed  in  the  field  of  geology,  and  his  ob- 
servations and  deductions  are  given  in  a  large  quarto 
volume  of  756  pages,  with  a  folio  atlas  of  21  plates  (1849). 
Later,  however,  in  part  because  of  the  return  of  one  of 
his  colleagues  to  the  United  States,  he  assumed  charge 
also  of  the  Crustacea  and  zoophytes.  These  combined 
departments  gave  full  scope  to  his  zeal  and  industry. 
The  results  of  his  work  in  these  departments  of  zoology  in- 
clude a  Report  on  Zoophytes,  a  quarto  volume  of  741  pages, 
with  a  folio  atlas  of  61  plates  (1846);  and  a  Report  on 
Crustacea,  in  two  quarto  volumes  aggregating  1620  pages 
(1853)  accompanied  by  a  folio  atlas  of  96  plates  (1854). 

140 


THE   EXPEDITION   REPORTS 

These  three  reports  will  be  more  particularly  spoken  of 
later,  but  it  may  be  mentioned  here  that  a  large  part  of 
the  drawings  of  the  plates  in  both  works  were  made 
by  his  own  hand.  Before  considering  the  character  of 
these  works  and  the  difficulties  encountered  in  printing 
and  publication,  it  will  be  of  interest  to  follow  the 
author's  life. 

Soon  after  the  explorer  came  home,  his  father  re- 
arranged his  business,  and  James,  who  had  prudently 
saved  the  most  of  his  compensation  while  at  sea,  made  an 
investment  in  the  store  at  Utica,  of  which  his  brother 
George  became  the  manager.  The  elder  brother,  as  a 
silent  or  non-resident  partner,  contributed  to  the  capital 
and  shared  in  its  profits,  but  had  no  responsibility  for  the 
transaction  of  affairs.  In  July,  1843,  he  writes  to  his 
sister  Harriet: 

"  A  partnership  will  probably  be  formed,  but  without 
requiring  me  to  be  actively  engaged  at  the  store.  This 
plan  enables  father  to  carry  out  his  intention  of  leaving 
the  business.  George  can  explain  to  you  the  proposition 
as  it  now  stands.  It  is  not  absolutely  necessary  that  I 
should  reside  at  Utica,  as  I  take  no  active  part  in  the 
business,  and  my  time  will  be  devoted  to  science,  as  here- 
tofore my  expectation.  Whether  I  live  at  Utica  or  not  is 
yet  to  be  decided." 

Notwithstanding  this  partial  provision  for  the  future, 
and  his  annual  compensation  ($1440)  from  the  expedition, 
it  was  necessary  to  look  forward.  His  future  career  was 
still  uncertain,  quite  as  it  was  when  he  returned  from  the 
cruise  on  the  Mediterranean.  Where  could  he  look  for  a 
salaried  position  ?  The  openings  for  a  student  of  nature 
were  very  few,  either  in  the  colleges  or  museums  of  the 
country  or  in  the  service  of  the  government.  But  Dana 
did  not  become  anxious.  Each  day  brought  its  pleasant 
duties;  his  circle  of  friends  was  widening;  his  reputation 
was  growing ;  and  he  was,  as  ever,  absorbed  in  work. 

141 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

For  a  while  he  dwelt  in  Washington  under  positive  and 
irksome  restrictions  as  to  the  employment  of  his  time. 
He  found  there  little  scientific  companionship.  The 
Smithsonian  Institution  was  not  then  founded;  there 
were  no  national  museums  of  importance.  There  was  a 
dearth  of  books.  In  a  letter  he  describes  a  midnight 
robbery  in  his  boarding-house,  and  his  immediate  and 
successful  search  for  the  thieves,  followed  by  their  arrest ; 
but  this  was  the  only  exciting  incident  of  which  there  is 
a  record.  Vexations  and  annoyances  arose  respecting 
the  government  publications,  and  this  involved  a  great 
deal  of  letter-writing.  Endeavors  were  made  to  discredit 
some  of  the  naval  officers  who  had  been  responsible  for 
the  conduct  of  the  expedition.  The  commander  was 
subjected  to  a  court  of  inquiry,  and  vindicated  from  all 
the  charges  but  one.  From  all  such  controversies  Dana 
kept  aloof  as  far  as  he  could,  and  he  succeeded  very  well. 
He  had  no  time  to  waste  on  trifles,  no  grievances  to  be 
aired,  no  rivalries  to  maintain,  no  reclamations  to  fear. 
His  eye  was  fixed  on  the  end  in  view, — the  increase  of 
human  knowledge  by  means  of  elaborate,  accurate,  sys- 
tematic publications  in  various  branches  of  natural  science. 
There  is  no  indication  that  Washington  society  cared  in 
the  least  degree  to  see  the  traveller  or  to  hear  his  story. 
Constant  work  was  his  constant  solace.  New  Haven,  his 
scientific  cradle,  continued  to  attract  him.  He  made 
occasional  visits  there  and  ere  long  the  attraction  was 
irresistible. 

It  is  not  a  grateful  task  to  mention  the  obstacles  and 
annoyances  to  which  the  scientific  corps  were  exposed  in 
fulfilling  the  duties  of  publication  with  which  they  were 
charged.  There  were  many  complaints  and  recrimina- 
tions in  respect  to  the  conduct  of  the  voyage,  and  a  great 
deal  of  time  and  patience  was  consumed  by  official  in- 
quiries. As  if  this  were  not  enough,  Congress  adopted  a 
benighted  policy  in  respect  to  publication.  The  number 

142 


JAMES    D.    DANA 
1843.    Age  30 


DIFFICULTIES   OF   PUBLICATION 

of  copies  of  the  reports  to  be  printed  was  narrowly  re- 
stricted. These  were  to  be  sent  to  the  sovereigns  of  the 
world  and  to  a  few  libraries  of  commanding  importance. 
Hence,  at  the  present  time,  a  complete  set  is  but  rarely 
seen.  Two  of  the  best  sets  are  now  owned  by  the  New 
York  Public  Library.  Sets  more  or  less  perfect  may  be 
found  in  Washington,  Baltimore,  Boston.  Years  after  its 
appearance,  Dana's  friend,  Dr.  Wells  Williams,  happened 
to  see  exposed  for  sale,  in  a  Chinese  shop  in  Canton,  an 
elegantly  bound  copy  of  the  Geology  that  had  been  pre- 
sented by  the  United  States  government  to  the  Emperor 
of  China.  He  bought  it  and  sent  it  to  the  author,  in 
whose  library  it  remains,  with  the  following  note : 

"  This  volume  (and  doubtless  also  the  atlas  of  plates) 
was  sent  by  the  U.  S.  government  to  the  Emperor  of 
China.  It  was  received  by  the  Gov. -General  in  Canton, 
but  not  forwarded  to  the  Emperor  because  this  required 
that  an  ambassador  should  present  it  as  tribute.  Before 
the  English  sacked  Canton,  the  books  were  stolen  from 
the  office  and  sold,  this  among  the  number.  It  was 
afterwards  purchased  by  my  friend  and  schoolmate,  S. 
Wells  Williams,  and  by  him  sent  to  me  in  the  year  1858. 

"  J.  D.  D." 

Dr.  Williams,  when  speaking  of  this  matter  in  New 
Haven,  added  that  the  Chinese  were  very  fond  of  pictures, 
and  that  the  atlas  of  plates  had  doubtless  been  scattered 
among  them.  The  above  statement  was  written  from 
his  dictation. 

Vigorous  protests  were  made  against  the  methods 
of  publication  adopted  by  the  government.  With  un- 
wonted warmth  Dana  was  persistent ;  Gray  came  to  his 
support,  and  the  American  Academy  in  Boston,  the 
Connecticut  Academy  in  New  Haven,  and  other  influen- 
tial societies  combined  in  efforts  to  modify  the  conclusions 
that  were  reached  by  Congress ;  but  all  this  met  with  but 
partial  success.  The  scientific  men  protested  not  only 

143 


LIFE    OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

against  the  narrow  limitation  of  the  number  of  copies  to 
be  printed,  but  against  an  arbitrary  and  highly  objection- 
able supervision  of  their  reports  by  men  who  were  not 
qualified  to  say  what  kind  of  treatment  the  subjects  re- 
quired. Much  correspondence  upon  this  subject  has 
come  under  my  eye,  but  I  see  no  reason  for  its  full  pub- 
lication. The  questions  were  settled  long  ago  and  are 
not  of  interest  to  the  present  generation.  It  seems 
necessary,  however,  to  indicate  explicitly  the  grievances 
which  caused  such  loud  complaint. 

The  government,  which  was  then  represented  for  this 
purpose  by  the  Library  Committee  of  Congress  through 
their  agent,  Hon.  Benjamin  Tappan  of  Ohio,  prescribed 
certain  regulations  as  to  what  the  scientific  reports  should 
include.  They  were  to  be  restricted  to  the  "  dis- 
coveries "  of  the  expedition.  To  these  instructions 
Captain  Wilkes  gave  a  narrow  interpretation.  For  ex- 
ample, he  objected  to  the  recognition  of  European  names 
for  the  zoophytes,  and  to  Dana's  thorough  recasting,  in 
the  light  of  his  own  researches,  of  the  classification  of 
genera  and  species.  Dana  appealed  to  Tappan,  who 
reluctantly  yielded  the  point  in  dispute,  and  gave  free 
scope  to  the  author;  but  he  was  not  brought  to  this  con- 
clusion until  he  received  Dana's  downright  refusal  to  go 
on  with  his  duties  unless  the  stringency  was  relaxed. 

The  other  restriction — as  to  the  number  of  copies  to 
be  printed — was  not  due  (as  it  appears)  to  economy,  but 
to  a  vague  and  unfounded  belief  that  the  set  of  reports 
would  be  valued  more  by  those  to  whom  the  copies 
might  be  sent  if  it  were  known  that  only  certain  digni- 
taries and  institutions  were  to  be  thus  favored.  Of  the 
Zoophytes,  for  example,  the  government  proposed  to 
publish  one  hundred  copies,  and  to  allow  Lee  &  Blan- 
chard,  the  publishers,  to  put  out  seventy-five  copies  more. 
They  strongly  objected  to  Dana's  printing  twenty-five 
copies  at  his  own  expense  and  for  his  own  use.  "  It  is 

144 


DIFFICULTIES   OF   PUBLICATION 

certainly  most  shameful,"  he  writes,  "  that  I  have  not 
received  from  government  even  one  single  copy  of  my 
own  work,  except  the  sheets  of  one  as  it  was  printed, 
which  were  to  be  used  for  reference  in  proof-reading, 
making  out  an  index,  etc." 

There  was  still  another  annoyance,  by  which  some  of 
the  scientific  corps  were  more  affected  than  Dana.  It 
was  the  use  which  Wilkes  made  in  his  narrative  of  the 
notes  and  journals  of  his  colleagues,  who  naturally  de- 
sired to  have  the  opportunity  of  first  announcing  to  the 
public  whatever  might  be  new  or  striking  in  their  ob- 
servations. So  far  as  I  have  discovered,  there  was  no 
charge  against  the  commander  of  a  dishonest  use  of  these 
materials,  but  the  natural  protest  respecting  priority  and 
mode  of  presentation. 

At  one  time  (in  1846)  Dana  was  requested,  if  not 
ordered,  to  live  in  Washington  while  preparing  his  reports. 
"It  is  perfectly  absurd,"  he  writes  to  a  friend,  "  that  I 
should  be  able  to  prepare  my  reports  in  a  city  where  there 
are  no  books!  " 

The  reader  who  is  not  interested  in  these  branches  of 
natural  history  may  pass  by  the  following  correspondence. 
It  will,  however,  arrest  the  attention  of  those  who  are 
familiar  with  the  progress  of  science  in  America,  for  they 
will  here  perceive  the  obstacles  which  were  encountered 
by  an  honest  and  thorough  investigator  in  the  final  pub- 
lication of  his  memoirs. 

Mr.  Tappan  having  released  Mr.  Dana  from  any  re- 
sponsibility respecting  the  actinias,  and  advised  him  to 
confine  himself  to  the  corals,  geology,  and  Crustacea, 
Dana  acquiesced  in  this  request,  and  in  the  winter  of 
1845-46  brought  to  a  conclusion  the  first  of  his  reports, — 
with  that  volume  of  beautiful  colored  plates  which  has 
introduced  so  many  persons  to  the  aspects  of  living 
corals.  To  his  appreciative  colleague  in  Cambridge  he 
wrote  three  letters,  two  of  which  justify  the  method  that 

145 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

the  author  had  pursued,  and  the  other  is  a  confidential 
revelation  of  the  continued  embarrassments  of  the  author. 
The  following  letters  reveal  the  situation  : 

DANA  TO   HON.   BENJAMIN  TAPPAN 

11  NEW  HAVEN,  November  4,  1844. 

"  I  should  long  ago  have  reported  to  you  the  condition 
of  my  Report  on  Corals,  had  it  been  so  far  advanced 
that  I  could  have  given  any  definite  estimate  of  the  time 
required  to  finish  it.  The  summer  has  been  laboriously 
spent,  and  finally  I  have  made  out  to  give  my  descrip- 
tions a  scientific  form  and  Latin  dress,  finishing  them 
with  full  references  to  authorities,  and  comparisons  with 
all  known  species.  Much  study  has  been  required  to 
clear  up  the  many  doubts  and  obscurities  with  regard  to 
the  received  species,  the  same  name  having  often  been 
applied  to  several  distinct  corals,  and  different  names  in 
some  instances  to  those  that  were  identical.  I  have  en- 
deavored to  make  the  report  thorough  and  complete  in 
every  part,  and  I  cannot  but  hope  that  it  may  meet  the 
expectations  of  the  scientific  men  of  our  country. 

'  With  the  exception  of  the  references  to  the  drawings, 
which  cannot  be  added  till  the  engravings  are  finished, 
the  report  will  be  ready  by  the  opening  of  Congress,  and 
printing  might  commence  in  the  course  of  the  winter,  if 
the  plates  were  completed.  The  number  of  new  species 
among  the  large  corals,  that  is,  exclusive  of  those  of  the 
Sertularia  and  Eschara  families,  will  be  about  180." 

BENJAMIN   TAPPAN   TO   DANA 

"WASHINGTON  CITY,  i4th  December,  1844. 

[<  I  think  you  need  not  meddle  with  the  actinias,  but 
confine  yourself  to  the  corals,  geology,  and  Crustacea. 
Mr.  Drayton,  with  some  assistance  here,  will  prepare  the 
actinias. ' ' 

DANA  TO    TAPPAN 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  December  17,  1844. 

"  I  had  the  honor  of  receiving  your  communication  of 
the  I4th  instant  this  morning.  The  conclusion  that  I  omit 
the  actinias  has  relieved  my  mind  of  much  anxiety.  Al- 

146 


PROGRESS  OF  REPORT  ON  ZOOPHYTES 

though  in  studying  corals,  I  have  necessarily  acquainted 
myself  to  some  extent  with  this  division  of  zoophytes,  I 
have  still  dreaded  the  responsibility  of  publishing  the 
new  species  of  the  expedition,  as  these  animals  are  among 
the  most  difficult  objects  in  science  to  work  up  so  as  not 
to  expose  the  author  to  severe  criticism.  With  such  aid 
as  I  might  have  obtained  from  different  sources,  including 
Mr.  Couthouy,  I  was  willing  to  undertake  it.  I  should 
not  have  proposed  the  study  of  them,  had  I  not  believed 
it  incumbent  on  me  to  make  the  volume  on  zoophytes 
complete  in  all  its  departments." 

DANA  TO  ASA  GRAY 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  February  6,  1846. 

*  The  work  is  a  complete  treatise  on  zoophytes,  and 
appears  to  consist  of  non-expedition  matter.  But  in  fact, 
with  few  exceptions,  the  whole  is  based  on  expedition  in- 
formation. Errors  in  description  of  species  and  in  the 
laying  down  of  genera  were  numerous  in  the  books; 
many  species  were  confounded  under  a  single  name,  and 
the  same  name  had  been  differently  used  by  different 
authors.  I  could  not  describe  my  own  species,  which  in 
the  principal  sub-order  were  nearly  as  many  as  all  known, 
without  giving  the  characters,  more  definitely,  of  those 
known.  I  could  not  correct  the  errors  in  any  more  con- 
cise way  than  by  describing  anew.  Patching  on  new 
species  to  an  old  system,  which  the  facts  could  not  sus- 
tain, seemed  not  to  be  my  duty. 

'  The  observations  made  were  as  important  for  correct- 
ing errors  as  for  instituting  species,  and  I  have  conse- 
quently undertaken  to  reconstruct  the  science,  revise, 
correct,  and  systematize  the  whole. 

I  allude  particularly  to  this,  as  it  has  been  said  that 
some  of  the  congressmen  will  or  may  object  to  the  book 
on  the  ground  of  the  matter  not  appearing  to  be  of  ex- 
pedition collection.—  '  Too  complete!  ' 

DANA  TO  ASA   GRAY 

"NEW  HAVEN,  February  12,  1846. 

'  Your  communication  from  the  Academy  of  Arts  and 
Sciences  shall  be  presented  to  the  Connecticut  Academy, 

H7 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

— a  society  that  has  good  names  in  it,  and  which  meets 
once  a  month  to  talk  science.  Do  you  intend  that  other 
societies  should  report  to  you  on  the  subject,  or  direct  to 
the  Library  Committee,  and  had  your  report,  or  the  same 
in  form,  better  be  signed  by  a  committee  here,  or  another 
form,  alluding  to  your  report  ?  Professor  Silliman  is 
away  now,  but  we  will  have  his  name  on  it.  Your  docu- 
ment is  a  very  excellent  one.  ...  I  am  much  pro- 
voked that  I  must  add  a  word  of  doubt  as  to  whether  the 
coral  volume  can  properly  be  reviewed  in  the  next  num- 
ber of  the  North  American,  because  the  bills  with  regard 
to  it  cannot  be  signed  till  Tappan  comes  from  Ohio  (which 
they  say  will  be  in  ten  days).  Wilkes  thinks  he  sees  in 
the  book  a  large  amount  of  non-expedition  matter,  and 
writes  that  his  power  does  not  extend  so  far  as  to  allow 
of  his  signing  the  bills.  When  this  news  first  reached 
me,  I  was  vexed  and  had  feelings  as  hard  as  a  brickbat. 
But  I  suppose  Wilkes  is  right.  Tappan  saw  the  manu- 
script, had  it  for  three  days  in  his  hands,  and  finally  gave 
it  his  approval,  remarking  at  the  same  time  on  the  de- 
scription of  species  not  collected  in  the  expedition,  so 
that  I  am  safe,  if  there  was  any  disposition  to  make 
trouble.  After  the  correspondence  on  the  subject,  I 
should  not  wish  to  give  the  book  for  a  review  before  it 
has  been  presented  to  Congress.  Perhaps  you  had  better 
prepare  it,  and  if  I  hear  about  it  in  ten  days  or  so  I  will 
let  you  know.  Hale's  book  is  not  under  this  encum- 
brance, though  actually  as  much  liable  to  the  objection 
as  mine,  and  the  review  of  that  can  be  published  whether 
mine  joins  it  or  not.  My  material,  the  result  of  the  ex- 
pedition observations,  was  sufficient  for  a  reconstruction 
of  the  science,  and  I  have  consequently  made  a  complete 
overhauling  of  the  whole.  In  no  other  way  could  I  have 
brought  out  the  results.  The  title-page  has  not  yet 
come;  but  I  am  still  expecting  it. 

'  The  plates  are  yet  in  the  works,  and  not  even  half  a 
dozen  are  finished,  and  none  of  those  are  here.  It  will 
probably  be  eight  or  ten  months  before  they  are  all  en- 
graved. They  will  be  hurried,  as  soon  as  we  have  our 
next  appropriation.  They  ought  all  to  have  been  finished 
before  this. 

I  will  write  you  again  the  first    news   I   get  from 
Washington.     The  next  number  of  the  Journal  contains 

148 


THE   CHARTS   OF   THE   EXPEDITION 

two  citations  from  the  coral  book — one  on  the  analysis 
of  corals,  and  another  on  the  Cyathophyllidce.  They 
were  printed  before  I  had  heard  of  the  delay  at  Washing- 
ton, and  if  they  object,  it  cannot  be  helped, — there  is  no 
review  of  it. 

"  P.  S. — If  you  examine  Wilkes's  charts,  you  will  find 
them  well  done.  They  are  the  surveys  of  his  officers  (as 
well  as  himself)  and  among  them  were  some  excellent 
surveyors.  The  Feejee  chart  is  very  far  superior  to  the 
French  one  by  D'Urville,  made  after  their  late  voyage,  a 
rival  of  our  expedition.  Indeed,  we  had  a  better  chart 
from  our  traders  there,  to  start  with,  than  that  by  D'Ur- 
ville. His  was  the  work  of  a  few  days,  and  ours  of  three 
and  one-half  months.  I  mention  these  particulars,  be- 
cause, whatever  may  be  said  of  him  [Wilkes]  and  the 
Narrative,  the  hydrographical  department  has  been  well 
carried  out.  Wilkes,  although  overbearing  with  his 
officers,  and  conceited,  exhibited  through  the  whole 
cruise  a  wonderful  degree  of  energy,  and  was  bold  even 
to  rashness  in  many  of  his  explorations.  ...  I  much 
doubt  if  with  any  commander  that  could  have  been  se- 
lected we  should  have  fared  better,  or  lived  together 
more  harmoniously,  and  I  am  confident  that  the  navy 
does  not  contain  a  more  daring  explorer,  or  driving 
officer." 

DANA  TO   ASA   GRAY 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  Feb.  20,  1846. 

"  One  word  about  the  plan  of  my  books.  I  have 
considered  corals  as  animals,  and  whatever  characters  be- 
longed to  the  living  zoophyte  have  been  mentioned  first 
in  the  descriptions ;  afterwards,  if  any  other  characters  of 
importance  were  presented  by  the  coral  (that  is,  characters 
not  determinable  except  when  it  was  stripped  of  the  fleshy 
portion),  they  have  been  given.  As  with  an  animal,  the 
animal  as  a  whole  is  first  described,  and  then  any  pecu- 
liarities of  the  skeleton  are  mentioned.  Coral  is  in  gen- 
eral an  internal  secretion ;  you  might  as  well  say  that  a 
man  lives  in  his  skeleton,  as  that  the  coral  contains 
polyps." 

The  following  account  of  the  Zoophytes  and  Crustacea 

149 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

is  taken  from  the  biographical  notice  of  his  father  by 
Professor  Edward  S.  Dana. 

'  The  large  volume  devoted  to  the  zoophytes,  and  the 
two  volumes  of  the  Crustacea,  each  work  with  an  atlas  of 
beautiful  plates,  most  of  them  drawn  by  himself,  are  clas- 
sical works  containing  the  descriptions  of  hundreds  of 
new  species  and  with  a  philosophical  development  of 
the  classification  and  the  relations  of  species  that  is 
truly  profound.  It  is  in  this  matter  of  the  classification 
that  the  most  important  contribution  to  zoology  was 
made.  This  is  true  in  general  of  both  the  works,  and 
though  the  last  half-century  that  has  elapsed  has  brought 
some  slight  changes  to  the  classification  of  the  Crustacea 
here  developed,  that  of  the  corals  stands  to-day  nearly 
as  it  was  given  in  the  expedition  report. 

'  The  volume  upon  the  zoophytes  is  what  would  be 
called  to-day  a  report  on  the  Anthozoa,  including  the 
description  of  the  corals  and  coral-making  animals  and  of 
allied  forms,  of  sea-anemones,  and  including  also  a  few 
hydroids.  The  value  of  the  work  is  much  increased  by 
the  fact  that  it  was  the  first  time  that  any  considerable 
number  of  the  coral  animals  had  been  described  and 
figured  from  life;  the  original  colored  drawings  were 
made  by  Mr.  Dana  from  the  living  animals,  as  described 
in  the  quotation  below,  taken  from  the  preface.  The 
beautiful  drawings  of  the  sea-anemones,  it  should  be 
stated,  were  made  by  the  artist  of  the  expedition,  Mr. 
Drayton.  The  volume  thus  marked  a  new  era  in  the 
subject,  since  collections  had  hitherto  been  limited  for 
the  most  part  to  the  corals  themselves." 

This  quotation  is  then  made  from  Prof.  J.  D.  Dana: 

*  The  field  for  geological  investigation  there  offered 
[the  Feejee  Islands]  was  limited,  as  we  were  shut  out 
from  the  interior  of  the  islands  by  the  character  of  the 
natives;  at  the  same  time  coral  reefs  spread  out  an  in- 
viting field  for  observation,  hundreds  of  square  miles  in 

150 


THE   MISCHIEF   OF   FIRE   AND   WATER 

extent.  The  three  months,  therefore,  of  our  stay  in  that 
group  were  principally  devoted  to  exploring  the  groves 
of  the  ocean,  where  flowers  bloomed  no  less  beautiful 
than  those  of  the  forbidden  lands,  and  rocks  of  coral 
growth  afforded  instruction  of  deep  interest.  The  speci- 
mens were  obtained  by  wading  over  the  reefs  at  low  tide, 
with  one  or  more  buckets  at  hand  to  receive  the  gathered 
clumps  ;  or,  where  too  deep  for  this,  by  floating  slowly 
along  in  a  canoe  with  two  or  three  natives,  and,  through 
the  clear  waters,  pointing  out  any  desired  coral  to  one  of 
them,  who  would  glide  £o  the  bottom,  and  soon  return 
with  his  hands  loaded,  lay  down  his  treasures,  and  pre- 
pare for  another  descent.  When  taken  out  of  its  element, 
the  coral  often  appears  as  if  lifeless;  but  placing  it  in  a 
basin  of  sea-water,  the  polyps  after  a  while  expand,  and 
cover  the  branches  like  flowers.  Four-fifths  of  the  ob- 
servations in  this  department  were  made  at  the  Feejee 
group." 

'  The  number  of  new  species  of  zoophytes  described," 
continues  Prof.  E.  S.  Dana,  "  was  over  two  hundred;  in 
the  Report  on  Crustacea  six  hundred  and  eighty  species 
were  described,  of  which  upwards  of  five  hundred  were 
new.  A  large  part  of  the  collections  in  Crustacea  were 
lost  by  the  wreck  of  the  Peacock  on  the  shores  of  Oregon. 
It  may,  perhaps,  be  worth  recalling  that  many  of  the  type 
specimens  were  later  destroyed  by  fire  in  Chicago,  while 
the  copies  of  the  published  work  suffered  three  times 
most  seriously  in  the  same  way.  The  first  time  was 
during  its  publication  at  Philadelphia  and  resulted  in  the 
loss  of  many  of  the  original  colored  drawings,  to  the  per- 
manent injury  of  the  work,  since  they  could  not  be  re- 
placed. The  two  other  fires  were  at  New  Haven  ;  the  last 
one  (1894)  largely  destroyed  the  residue  of  the  plates 
when  being  collated  by  the  binder  preparatory  to  their 
being  presented  to  some  friends  of  the  author." 


CHAPTER   IX 

THE   PROFESSORSHIP  IN  YALE   UNIVERSITY 

Marriage — Aspects  of  New  Haven  and  of  Yale  College  in  the  Middle  of  the 
Century — The  Faculty  of  that  Period — Overtures  from  Harvard — 
Appointment  in  Yale — Inaugural  Lecture — Varied  Pursuits — Char- 
acteristics as  a  Teacher — Estimates  of  his  Pupils — Prolonged  Ill- 
Health. 

SOME  months  after  his  return  from  the  Pacific,  Mr. 
Dana  announced  his  engagement  to  Miss  Henrietta 
Silliman,  daughter  of  his  former  teacher,  Benjamin  Sil- 
liman,and  sister  of  his  future  colleague, Benjamin  Silliman, 
Jr.*  The  marriage  took  place  in  New  Haven,  June  5,  1844, 
and  after  that  New  Haven  was  Dana's  permanent  abode. f 
Those  who  live  at  a  distance,  and  others  whose  memory 
does  not  go  back  to  the  middle  of  the  century,  may  per- 
haps take  an  interest  in  a  sketch,  though  it  is  only  a 

*  Her  two  elder  sisters  were  already  married — Maria  to  John  B.  Church, 
and  Faith  to  Oliver  P.  Hubbard,  Professor  of  Chemistry  in  Dartmouth 
College,  now  living  in  New  York,  above  the  age  of  ninety.  The  youngest 
sister,  Julia,  married,  several  years  later,  Rev.  Edward  W.  Oilman,  Secre- 
tary of  the  American  Bible  Society. 

f  The  happiness  of  the  home  was  greatly  increased  by  the  children  that 
from  time  to  time  came  into  it.  These  were  six  in  all,  of  whom  four  sur- 
vive. Two,  a  son  and  daughter,  died  of  diphtheria  in  early  childhood,  in 
August,  1861.  The  eldest  ..daughter,  Frances,  has  been  since  November, 
1870,  the  wife  of  George  D.  Coit,  of  Norwich,  Conn.  The  eldest  son, 
Edward  Salisbury,  is  well  known  as  his  father's  associate  in  the  Faculty  of 
Yale  University,  and  in  the  editorship  of  the  Journal  of  Science.  Another 
son,  Arnold  Guyot,  is  connected  with  the  Financial  Chronicle,  edited  by 
his  uncle,  William  B.  Dana,  in  New  York  City.  The  youngest  daughter 
is  still  her  mother's  companion. 

152 


NEW   HAVEN. IN    1850 

sketch,  of  New  Haven  and  Yale  College  as  they  were  in 
the  fifties. 

New  Haven  was  then  as  now  an  attractive  residence 
for  a  scholar,  although  in  size  and  appearance  it  was  very 
different  from  the  New  Haven  of  to-day.  The  number 
of  inhabitants  in  the  city  according  to  the  census  of  1850 
was  20,341.  The  college,  which  numbered  in  1849-50 
only  386  undergraduates  and  145  professional  students, 
did  not  assume  the  name  of  a  university  until  forty  years 
later.  The  trees  upon  the  green  were  of  great  beauty, 
and  with  those  of  Temple  street  and  Hillhouse  avenue 
gave  to  New  Haven  the  sobriquet  of  the  "  City  of  Elms." 
The  students  were  allowed  to  play  football  and  wicket 
on  the  public  green  between  Chapel  street  and  the  state- 
house  that  has  now  disappeared.  The  college  buildings 
were  plain,  poor,  and  inconvenient.  A  row  of  brick 
dormitories,  factory-like,  stood  parallel  with  College 
street,  facing  the  public  green — their  monotony  being 
scarcely  broken  by  three  larger  buildings  which  were 
known  as  the  Chapel,  the  Athenaeum  or  old  Chapel,  and 
the  Lyceum.  In  front  of  this  row  was  a  two-story 
wooden  dwelling-house,  painted  white,  which  was  used 
in  former  days  as  the  President's  residence,  and  was  now 
transformed  into  an  analytical  laboratory  for  the  use  of 
students  in  chemistry.  In  the  rear  of  the  row  of  dormi- 
tories there  was  a  low,  antiquated  one-story  building 
called  "  the  laboratory,"  once  used  as  a  dining-room  for 
"  commons,"  and  afterwards  devoted  to  the  lectures  in 
chemistry  annually  given  to  the  senior  class.  Near  by 
stood  a  more  modern  building — likewise  a  former  hall  or 
dining-room — which  was  set  apart  for  the  instruction  in 
natural  philosophy  and  for  the  cabinet  of  minerals.  The 
token  of  better  days  to  come  had  appeared  in  a  new 
building  for  the  libraries,  built  of  red  sandstone,  which 
was  opened  for  use  in  the  winter  of  1845-46.  Four  col- 
lections were  here  placed,  the  College,  the  Linonian,  the 

153 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

^Brothers',  and  the  Calliopean.  This  continued  to  be  for 
many  years  the  best  structure  on  the  grounds.  The 
number  of  books  had  been  augmented  by  some  excellent 
purchases  made  in  Europe  by  Professor  Kingsley,  but 
nevertheless  the  library  was  most  inadequate.  Every- 
thing about  the  college  indicated  poverty,  economy,  and 
the  wise  expenditure  of  restricted  means.  The  salaries 
were  small  and  the  standard  of  life  extremely  simple. 
Academic  dress  was  unknown,  except  that  the  professors, 
in  accordance  with  the  usage  of  gentlemen,  usually  wore 
in  public,  at  all  hours  of  the  day,  black  dress-coats,  and 
often  with  white  neckties.  It  was  a  great  innovation 
when  President  Woolsey  appeared,  on  Commencement 
Day,  in  a  black  silk  gown  surmounted  by  a  tall  black  tile- 
hat.  His  gownless  predecessor,  President  Day,  more 
nostro,  used  to  put  on  a  tile-hat,  as  he  sat  in  the  pulpit  of 
the  Centre  church,  when  he  came  to  the  solemn  act  of 
conferring  degrees,  and  pronounced  the  traditional  phrase 
beginning  "  Pro  auctoritate  mihi  commissa" 

In  those  days,  as  now,  Yale  included  the  faculties  of 
law,  medicine,  and  theology ;  but  they  were  regarded  as 
"  outside  "  departments,  quite  apart  from  the  "  college 
proper "  or  academic  department.  Dr.  Woolsey,  a 
former  Professor  of  Greek,  and  a  subsequent  authority 
in  international  law,  was  called  to  the  presidential  chair 
in  1846,  and  at  once  began  to  impress  upon  the  institu- 
tion his  wise  ideas  of  scholarship.  A  new  life  began  with 
his  administration :  the  discipline  was  made  more  rigid, 
new  subjects  of  study  were  introduced,  able  men  were 
called  into  the  faculty. 

But  the  older  men  were  still  honored  and  influential. 
The  former  President,  the  Rev.  Jeremiah  Day,  a  calm, 
wise,  judicious  man,  remained  in  the  corporation  till  he 
was  more  than  ninety  years  old,  and  might  be  seen  every 
Sunday  in  his  seat  at  chapel,  and  almost  every  day  slowly 
promenading  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  house,  or  in  his 

154 


THE   YALE   FACULTY   IN    1850 

yard  chopping  wood  for  exercise.  Silliman  and  Kingsley 
had  been  the  colleagues  of  Day  during  the  first  half  of 
the  century,  and  to  these  three  men,  with  the  Rev. 
President  Timothy  Dwight,  the  first,  the  growth  of  the 
college,  in  reputation  and  in  numbers,  from  1796  to  1846 
was  largely  due. 

Among  his  associates,  Silliman  was  the  scientific  chief. 
As  a  teacher  he  was  always  acceptable ;  as  a  public  lec- 
turer he  had  no  superior;  as  editor  of  an  important 
journal  he  had  an  international  reputation.  His  man- 
ners were  courtly,  his  speech  fluent,  his  sympathies 
active.  His  tall  figure,  dignified  bearing,  and  animated 
countenance  attracted  attention  in  every  assembly. 
Many  stories  are  extant  of  his  humor  and  wit;  many 
more  of  his  kindness  and  good-will.  All  this  and  much 
more  may  be  gathered  from  the  memoir  of  Benjamin 
Silliman,  by  Professor  George  P.  Fisher. 

The  chair  of  natural  philosophy  and  astronomy  was 
held  by  Professor  Denison  Olmsted,  well  known  to  this 
day  as  the  author  of  widely  read  text-books,  and  entitled 
to  a  more  enduring  fame  as  an  observer  and  student  of 
meteoric  phenomena.  He  was  the  inspirer  of  a  group  of 
observers — Ebenezer  Porter  Mason,  Edward  C.  Herrick, 
Alexander  C.  Twining,  and  Hubert  A.  Newton  among 
the  number — who  helped  to  discover  the  laws  that  govern 
the  showers  of  shooting  stars,  previously  so  mysterious. 
Newton,  the  most  distinguished  of  the  four,  became 
Professor  of  Mathematics  not  long  after  Dana's  accession 
to  the  faculty.  The  chair  of  mathematics  was  previously 
held  (until  1853)  by  Anthony  D.  Stanley,  a  man  of  rare 
abilities  and  of  excessive  modesty,  who  had  graduated 
three  years  earlier  than  Dana.  He  published  but  little, 
and  his  name  has  never  appeared  on  the  roll  of  fame — but 
it  is  well  worthy  of  remembrance  in  the  annals  of  Yale. 

Professor  William  D.  Whitney,  the  philologist,  whom 
the  world  of  scholars  has  honored,  came  into  the  faculty 

155 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

about  the  time  of  Dana,  and  with  Professors  Josiah  W. 
Gibbs,  Edward  E.  Salisbury,  Thomas  A.  Thacher,  and 
James  Hadley,  gave  fresh  distinction  to  the  college  in  the 
domain  of  ancient  letters. 

In  the  Reveries  of  a  Bachelor,  Ik  Marvel  (Donald  G. 
Mitchell)  has  sketched  the  older  professors  of  this  period 
in  language  which  is  as  true  as  a  Rembrandt  etching.  It 
has  been  read  over  and  over  again  by  Yalensians  who  were 
in  college  during  the  forties  and  fifties — but  like  a  good 
sonnet,  the  more  often  it  is  repeated  the  better  it  sounds ; 
so  no  apology  will  be  made  for  its  introduction  here. 

"  I  happened  only  a  little  while  ago  to  drop  into  the 
college  chapel  of  a  Sunday.  There  were  the  same  hard 
oak  benches  below,  and  the  lucky  fellows  who  enjoyed  a 
corner  seat  were  leaning  back  upon  the  rail,  after  the  old 
fashion.  The  tutors  were  perched  up  in  their  side-boxes, 
looking  as  prim  and  serious  and  important  as  ever.  The 
same  stout  Doctor  *  read  the  hymn  in  the  same  rhythmi- 
cal way ;  and  he  prayed  the  same  prayer,  for  (I  thought) 
the  same  old  sort  of  sinners.  As  I  shut  my  eyes  to  listen, 
it  seemed  as  if  the  intermediate  years  had  all  gone  out ; 
and  that  I  was  on  my  own  pew-bench,  and  thinking  out 
those  little  schemes  for  excuses  or  for  effort,  which  were 
to  relieve  me  or  to  advance  me,  in  my  college  world. 
There  was  a  pleasure — like  the  pleasure  of  dreaming 
about  forgotten  joys — in  listening  to  the  Doctor's  ser- 
mon :  he  began  in  the  same  half-embarrassed,  half-awk- 
ward way ;  and  fumbled  at  his  Bible-leaves,  and  the  poor 
pinched  cushion,  as  he  did  long  before.  But  as  he  went 
on  with  his  rusty  and  polemic  vigor,  the  poetry  within 
him  would  now  and  then  warm  his  soul  into  a  burst  of 
fervid  eloquence,  and  his  face  would  glow,  and  his  hand 
tremble,  and  the  cushion  and  the  Bible-leaves  be  all  for- 
got, in  the  glow  of  his  thought,  until  with  a  half-cough, 
and  a  pinch  at  the  cushion,  he  fell  back  into  his  strong 
but  treadmill  argumentation. 

In  the  corner  above  was  the  stately,  white-haired  pro- 
fessor^ wearing  the  old  dignity  of  carnage,  and  a  smile 

*  Rev.  Prof.  E.  T.  Fitch.  f  Prof.  Benjamin  Silliraan. 

156 


IK   MARVEL'S   PORTRAITS 

as  bland  as  if  the  years  had  all  been  playthings ;  and  had 
I  seen  him  in  his  lecture-room,  I  daresay  I  should  have 
found  the  same  suavity  of  address,  the  same  marvellous 
currency  of  talk,  and  the  same  infinite  composure  over 
the  exploding  retorts. 

"  Near  him  was  the  silver-haired  old  gentleman  * — 
with  a  very  astute  expression — who  used  to  have  an 
odd  habit  of  tightening  his  cloak  about  his  nether  limbs. 
I  could  not  see  that  his  eye  was  any  the  less  bright ;  nor 
did  he  seem  less  eager  to  catch  at  the  handle  of  some 
witticism,  or  bit  of  satire, — to  the  poor  student's  cost. 
I  remembered  my  old  awe  of  him,  I  must  say,  with  some- 
thing of  a  grudge;  but  I  had  got  fairly  over  it  now. 
There  are  sharper  griefs  in  life  than  a  professor's  talk. 

"  Farther  on,  I  saw  the  long-faced,  dark-haired  manf 
who  looked  as  if  he  were  always  near  some  explosive, 
electric  battery,  or  upon  an  insulated  stool.  He  was,  I 
believe,  a  man  of  fine  feelings ;  but  he  had  a  way  of  re- 
ducing all  action  to  dry,  hard,  mathematical  system,  with 
very  little  poetry  about  it.  I  know  there  was  not  much 
poetry  in  his  problems  in  physics,  and  still  less  in  his  half- 
yearly  examinations.  But  I  do  not  dread  them  now. 

Over  opposite,  I  was  glad  to  see  still  the  aged  head 
of  the  kind  and  generous  old  man  J  who  in  my  day  pre- 
sided over  the  college;  and  who  carried  with  him  the 
affections  of  each  succeeding  class, — added  to  their  re- 
spect for  his  learning.  This  seems  a  higher  triumph  to 
me  now  than  it  seemed  then.  A  strong  mind,  or  a  culti- 
vated mind,  may  challenge  respect ;  but  there  is  needed  a 
noble  one  to  win  affection. 

"  A  new  man  now  filled  his  place  in  the  President's 
seat ;  but  he  was  one  whom  I  had  known,  and  had  been 
proud  to  know.§  His  figure  was  bent,  and  thin — the 
very  figure  that  an  old  Flemish  master  would  have 
chosen  for  a  scholar.  His  eye  had  a  kind  of  piercing 
lustre,  as  if  it  had  long  been  fixed  on  books;  and  his  ex- 
pression— when  unrelieved  by  his  affable  smile — was  that 
of  hard  midnight  toil.  With  all  his  polish  of  mind  he 
was  a  gentleman  at  heart ;  and  treated  us  always  with  a 
manly  courtesy  that  is  not  forgotten." 

*  Prof.  J.  L.  Kingsley.  |  Rev.  President  Jeremiah  Day. 

f  Prof.  Denison  Olmsted.  §  Rev.  President  Theodore  D.  Woolsey. 

157 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

Among  other  men  of  note  then  resident  in  New  Haven 
was  the  learned  and  eccentric  geologist  and  poet,  Dr. 
James  G.  Percival,  who  made  a  geological  survey  of  Con- 
necticut in  1835  and  published  a  report  which  is  as 
memorable  for  its  accuracy  as  it  is  noteworthy  for  its 
dryness.  He  was  one  of  the  collaborators  of  Noah 
Webster  (Dr.  Webster,  as  he  was  called)  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  his  well-known  dictionaries.  The  memory  was 
still  green  of  the  poet,  James  A.  Hillhouse,  son  of  the 
Senator,  James  Hillhouse,  whose  house  at  the  head  of 
the  Avenue  still  adorns  the  grove  that  is  known  as 
"  Sachem's  Wood." 

The  circumstances  which  led  to  the  enrolment  of  Pro- 
fessor Dana  in  the  Faculty  of  Yale  so  far  as  they  are  of 
interest  to  the  public  are  these. 

While  the  writing  of  the  expedition  reports  was  still  in 
progress,  Harvard,  always  eager  to  enlist  the  most  emi- 
nent men,  had  endeavored  to  secure  his  services.  The 
foundation  of  the  Lawrence  Scientific  School,  the  acces- 
sion of  Agassiz  to  its  scientific  corps,  the  endowment  of 
the  astronomical  observatory,  and  the  efficient  manage- 
ment of  the  botanical  garden  gave  prestige  to  Cambridge 
above  that  of  any  seat  of  learning  in  this  country.  Dr. 
Asa  Gray  was  the  negotiator  with  Dana,  and  to  him  ac- 
cordingly Dana's  decision  to  remain  in  New  Haven  was 
first  made  known;  but  Gray  was  supported  by  Agassiz 
and  B.  A.  Gould  in  his  overtures,  and  he  would  probably 
have  succeeded  had  it  not  been  for  a  timely  and  unex- 
pected interposition.  Professor  Edward  E.  Salisbury,  a 
wealthy  and  liberal  resident  of  New  Haven,  ever  ready 
to  promote  the  highest  interests  of  his  alma  mater,  pro- 
posed the  foundation  of  a  Silliman  Professorship  of 
Natural  History,  and  made  a  generous  contribution  to 
it,  with  the  understanding  that  the  first  incumbent  of 
the  chair  should  be  Dana.  This  determined  the  question. 
It  is  remarkable  that  the  same  generous  person,  himself  a 


PROFESSOR   SALISBURY'S   INFLUENCE 

distinguished  Oriental  scholar,  should  have  provided  the 
means  for  enlisting  in  the  service  of  Yale  College  two  of 
its  most  distinguished  professors,  the  philologist  Whitney 
and  the  geologist  Dana.  Naturally  President  Dwight  * 
associated  these  names  in  his  memorial  discourse,  and 
praised  the  liberality  of  that  friend  whose  gifts  made  it 
possible  for  Dana  and  Whitney  to  serve  Yale  College — a 
friend  "  who  now  in  serene  old  age  survives  them  both, 
having  witnessed  with  deepest  satisfaction  the  rich  fruits 
of  their  work." 

This  benefaction  determined  the  future  career  of  the 
naturalist.  Henceforward,  attention  to  his  college  duties, 
editorial  cares,  the  preparation  and  revision  of  scientific 
works,  correspondence  wide-spread  and  incessant,  jour- 
neys about  home,  and  field  investigations  in  geology  and 
mineralogy  occupied  his  time.  The  education  of  his 
children  and  attention  to  his  garden  and  shrubbery  (in- 
cluding a  noteworthy  regard  for  some  famous  pear  trees), 
walks  and  drives,  were  his  recreations.  In  early  life, 
backgammon,  and  later  his  interest  in  music,  occupied 
his  leisure.  The  absorbing  problems  of  the  civil  war  and 
the  consequent  difficulties  of  the  period  of  reconstruction 
never  failed  to  excite  his  interest  and  call  out  his  patriot- 
ism, and  it  is  almost  needless  to  add  that  he  was  hearty 
and  outspoken  in  his  Union  sentiments. 

It  was  some  years  after  his  appointment  when  the  "  Sil- 
liman  Professor  of  Natural  History  "  first  appeared  at 
his  desk,  for  the  work  on  the  reports  occupied  his  time 
and  absorbed  his  strength.  Professor  Silliman's  duties 
had  been  divided — a  part  of  them  given  to  his  son,  Ben- 
jamin Silliman,  Jr.,  who  was  made  Professor  of  Chemis- 
try, and  a  part  of  them  reserved  for  his  son-in-law, 
henceforward  to  be  known  as  Professor  Dana.  Until  the 
latter  was  ready  to  assume  his  new  responsibilities,  the 
lectures  on  geology  were  given  by  the  elder  Silliman. 

*  Memorial  address  at  Yale  University,  June  23,  1895. 
159 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT    DANA 

At  length  released  from  zoophytes  and  crustaceans, 
Dana  turned  to  "  the  age  of  man,"  and  appeared  at  his 
academic  post,  February  18,  1856,  and  on  that  day 
delivered  his  inaugural  discourse.  The  senior  class,  a 
few  members  of  the  faculty,  and  perhaps  a  dozen  other 
persons  met  in  what  was  then  known  as  the  geological 
lecture-room,  in  the  old  cabinet  building,  and  listened  to 
a  discourse  which  began  with  this  gratifying  reference  to 
the  predecessor  of  the  lecturer : 

"  In  entering  upon  the  duties  of  this  place,  my 
thoughts  turn  rather  to  the  past  than  to  the  sub- 
ject of  the  present  hour.  I  feel  that  it  is  an  honored 
place,  honored  by  the  labors  of  one  who  has  been  the 
guardian  of  American  Science  from  its  childhood ;  who 
here  first  opened  to  the  country  the  wonderful  records  of 
Geology;  whose  words  of  eloquence  and  earnest  truth 
were  but  the  overflow  of  a  soul  full  of  noble  sentiments 
and  warm  sympathies,  the  whole  throwing  a  peculiar 
charm  over  his  learning,  and  rendering  his  name  belovec 
as  well  as  illustrious.  Just  fifty  years  since,  Professor 
Silliman  took  his  station  at  the  head  of  chemical  and  geo- 
logical science  in  this  college.  Geology  was  then  hardlj 
known  by  name  in  the  land,  out  of  these  walls.  Two 
years  before,  previous  to  his  tour  in  Europe,  the  whole 
cabinet  of  Yale  was  a  half-bushel  of  unlabelled  stones. 
On  visiting  England,  he  found  even  in  London  no  school, 
public  or  private, for  geological  instruction,  and  the  science 
was  not  named  in  the  English  universities.  To  the  mines, 
quarries,  and  cliffs  of  England,  the  crags  of  Scotland,  and 
the  meadows  of  Holland  he  looked  for  knowledge,  and 
from  these  and  the  teachings  of  Murray,  Jameson,  Hall, 
Hope,  and  Playfair,  at  Edinburgh,  Professor  Silliman  re- 
turned, equipped  for  duty, — albeit  a  great  duty, — that  of 
laying  the  foundation,  and  creating  almost  out  of  noth- 
ing a  department  not  before  recognized  in  any  institu- 
tion in  America. 

"  He  began  his  work  in  1806.  The  science  was  with- 
out books — and,  too,  without  system,  except  such  as  its 
few  cultivators  had  each  for  himself  in  his  conceptions. 
It  was  the  age  of  the  first  beginnings  of  geology,  when 

160 


DANA'S   FIRST   LECTURE 

Wernerians  and  Huttonians  were  arrayed  in  a  contest. 
The  disciples  of  Werner  believed  that  all  rocks  had  been 
deposited  from  aqueous  solutions, — from  a  foul  chaotic 
ocean  that  fermented  and  settled,  and  so  produced  the 
succession  of  strata.  The  disciples  of  Hutton  had  no 
faith  in  water,  and  would  not  take  it  even  half  and  half 
with  their  more  potent  agency,  but  were  for  fire,  and  fire 
alone.  Thus,  as  when  the  earth  itself  was  evolved  from 
chaos,  fire  and  water  were  in  violent  conflict ;  and  out  of 
the  conflict  emerged  the  noble  science. 

"  Professor  Silliman  when  at  Edinburgh  witnessed  the 
strife,  and  while,  as  he  says,  his  earliest  predilections 
were  for  the  more  peaceful  mode  of  rock-making,  these 
soon  yielded  to  the  accumulating  evidence,  and  both 
views  became  combined  in  his  mind  in  one  harmonious 
whole.  The  science,  thus  evolved,  grew  with  him  and 
by  him ;  for  his  own  labors  contributed  to  its  extension. 
Every  year  was  a  year  of  expansion  and  onward  develop- 
ment, and  the  grandeur  of  the  opening  views  found  in 
him  a  ready  and  appreciative  response.  Like  Nature  her- 
self, ever  fresh  and  vigorous  in  the  display  of  truth, 
bearing  flowers  as  well  as  facts,  full  and  glowing  in  his 
illustrations,  and  clear  in  his  views  and  reasonings,  he 
became  a  centre  of  illumination  for  the  continent.  The 
attraction  of  that  light  led  his  successor  out  of  Oneida 
County,  N.  Y.,  to  Yale;  and  I  doubt  not,  if  all  should 
now  speak  that  have  been  guided  hither  by  the  same 
influence,  we  should  have  a  vast  chorus  of  voices. 

"  Geology  from  the  first  encountered  opposition.  Its 
very  essence,  indeed  the  very  existence  of  the  science, 
involved  the  idea  of  secondary  causes  in  the  progress  of 
the  creation  of  the  world — whilst  Moses  had  seemingly 
reduced  each  step  of  progress  to  a  fiat,  a  word  of  com- 
mand. The  champions  of  the  Bible  seemed  called  upon, 
therefore,  to  defend  it  against  scientific  innovations;  and 
they  labored  zealously  and  honestly,  not  knowing  that 
science  may  also  be  of  God.  Professor  Silliman  being  an 
example  of  Christian  character  beyond  reproach,  personal 
attacks  were  not  often  made.  But  thousands  of  regrets 
that  his  influence  was  given  over  to  the  dissemination  of 
error  were  privately,  and  sometimes  publicly,  expressed. 
An  equal  interest  was  exhibited  by  the  lecturer  in  the 
welfare  of  his  opponents  and  the  progress  of  what  he 

161 


LIFE  OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

believed  to  be  the  truth ;  and  with  boldness  and  power 
he  stood  by  both  the  Bible  and  the  science,  until  now 
there  are  few  to  question  his  faith. 

"  And  while  the  science  and  truth  have  thus  made 
progress  here,  through  these  labors  of  fifty  years,  the 
means  of  study  in  the  institution  have  no  less  increased. 
Instead  of  that  half-bushel  of  stones,  which  once  went  to 
Philadelphia  for  names,  in  a  candle-box,  you  see  above 
the  largest  mineral  cabinet  in  the  country,  which  but  for 
Professor  Silliman,  his  attractions  and  his  personal  exer- 
tions together,  would  never  have  been  one  of  the  glories 
of  old  Yale.  And  there  are  also  in  the  same  hall  large 
collections  of  fossils  of  the  chalk,  wealden,  and  tertiary 
of  England,  which,  following  the  course  of  affection  and 
admiration,  came  from  Doctor  Mantell  to  Professor  Silli- 
man, and  now  have  their  place  with  the  other  '  Medals 
of  Creation  '  there  treasured,  along  with  similar  collec- 
tions from  M.  Alexander  Brongniart  of  Paris.  Thus  the 
stream  has  been  ever  flowing,  and  this  institution  has 
had  the  benefit  of  it, — a  stream  not  solely  of  minerals  and 
fossils,  but  also  of  pupils  and  friends. 

"  Moreover,  the  American  Journal  of  Science, — now  in 
its  thirty-seventh  year  and  seventieth  volume, — projected 
and  long  sustained  solely  by  Professor  Silliman,  while 
ever  distributing  truth,  has  also  been  ever  gathering 
honors,  and  is  one  of  the  laurels  of  Yale. 

"  We  rejoice  that  in  laying  aside  his  studies,  after  so 
many  years  of  labor,  there  is  still  no  abated  vigor. 
Youth  with  him  has  been  perpetual.  Years  will  make 
some  encroachments  as  they  pass;  yet  Time,  with  some, 
seems  to  stand  aloof  when  the  inner  temple  is  guarded  by 
a  soul  of  genial  sympathies  and  cheerful  goodness.  He 
retires  as  one  whose  right  it  is  to  throw  the  burden  on 
others.  Long  may  he  be  with  us,  to  enjoy  the  good  he 
has  done,  and  cheer  us  by  his  noble  and  benign  presence." 

Like  Silliman,  Dana  was  soon  invited  to  deliver  public 
lectures  in  different  cities,  usually  under  the  auspices  of 
Young  Men's  Institutes.  The  only  extended  tour  that 
he  consented  to  make  was  made  in  the  winter  of  1857, 
when  he  visited  in  rapid  succession  Utica,  Fort  Plains, 
Canajoharie,  Buffalo,  Cleveland,  Louisville,  Cincinnati, 

162 


DUTIES  AS  A  COLLEGE  PROFESSOR 

and  Pittsburg.  A  note  was  made  that  on  the  I2th  of 
January  he  crossed  the  Ohio  River,  with  the  thermometer 
at  — 12°  F.  From  the  enthusiastic  reports  of  his  lecture 
upon  "  Corals  "  in  Utica,  his  native  place,  it  is  obvious 
that  he  held  the  audience  in  delighted  attention.  *'  No 
scientific  lecturer  ever  spoke  more  directly  than  he  to  the 
popular  appreciation  and  instruction.  To  lively  and 
picturesque  language  he  adds  an  earnest,  distinct,  and 
pleasant  delivery. "  Not  far  from  thirty  years  had  passed 
since  the  Utica  schoolboy  was  collecting  rocks  and  min- 
erals,— and  now  he  came  "  home  "  with  wide  experience, 
high  station,  and  national  renown,  to  address  his  towns- 
men on  one  of  the  most  fascinating  branches  of  geological 
investigation. 

During  the  early  years  of  his  professorship  the  measures 
were  adopted  which  transformed  the  rudimentary  Scien- 
tific School  of  Yale  College  into  that  great  institution 
which  bears  the  name  of  its  chief  benefactor,  and  is  widely 
known  as  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School.  In  the  plans 
for  its  expansion  Dana  took  an  active  and  influential  part. 
He  inquired  into  the  work  of  kindred  institutions  in 
Europe,  as  they  were  described  to  him  by  those  who  had 
lately  returned  from  studies  abroad,  and  he  advocated 
the  adoption  of  some  of  their  methods.  He  urged  the 
securing  of  an  endowment,  and  he  pointed  out  the  uses 
that  could  be  made  of  funds  which  should  be  supple- 
mentary and  auxiliary  to  those  already  held  by  Yale  Col- 
lege. He  was  not  a  regular  teacher  in  the  new  department, 
and  he  rarely  attended  the  meetings  of  its  governing 
board, — but  he  took  the  deepest  interest  in  its  advance- 
ment, and  could  always  be  relied  on  for  sympathy,  coun- 
sel, and  influence.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  early 
distinction  of  this  school  is  due  in  a  degree  to  Dana  and 
Whitney,  whose  names  were  a  guarantee  the  world  over 
that  the  methods  here  adopted  were  wise  and  commend- 
able ;  while  the  burdens  of  management  and  instruction 

163 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

were  borne  by  their  colleagues,  and  especially  by  Professor 
George  J.  Brush.  In  support  of  the  plans  which  were 
proposed  for  the  school,  Dana  delivered  a  discourse  be- 
fore the  citizens  of  New  Haven,  and  repeated  it  by 
request  before  the  alumni  of  Yale.  A  proof-sheet  has 
been  preserved  which  contains  in  his  own  handwriting 
emendations  of  and  suggestions  for  a  plan  for  the  endow- 
ment of  "  a  School  of  Science  to  be  established  at  New 
Haven  in  connection  with  Yale  College  "  (1856). 

The  cabinet  of  minerals  belonging  to  Yale  received  a 
great  deal  of  care.  He  undertook  its  rearrangement  and 
the  preparation  of  labels,  conforming  closely  to  his  own 
manual  of  mineralogy,  and  he  encouraged  the  students 
and  the  public  to  visit  freely  the  collections.  At  length 
in  1866  came  the  great  gift  of  George  Peabody  for  the 
Museum  of  Natural  History.  He  was  one  of  the  original 
board  of  trustees,  and  the  construction  of  the  building, 
as  regards  internal  arrangement,  was  largely  determined 
by  plans  made  by  him. 

Of  the  Connecticut  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences 
Dana  was  chosen  President  in  1857-58.  This  society  is 
one  of  the  oldest  scientific  associations  in  this  country, — 
having  been  instituted  in  1786,  and  incorporated  a  few 
years  later.  Its  meetings  have  done  much  to  quicken  the 
progress  of  science  in  Yale  University,  and  its  publications 
contain  important  memoirs, — especially  in  recent  years. 

Another  less  formal  association  has  been,  for  more  than 
sixty  years,  a  social  gathering  of  intellectual  men  which 
has  no  other  name  than  "  The  Club."  It  meets  at  the 
houses  of  the  members,  at  frequent  intervals,  for  conver- 
sation and  the  discussion  of  science,  politics,  and  religion. 
Its  earliest  meetings  were  in  1838,  and  among  the  found- 
ers were:  Dr.  Leonard  Bacon;  President  Woolsey;  two 
others  of  the  faculty,  Professors  Gibbs  and  Larned ; 
Henry  White,  a  well-known  lawyer;  Alexander  C.  Twin- 
ing, a  civil  engineer;  Dr.  Henry  G.  Ludlow,  a  minister; 

164 


HIS   DISTINCTION   AS   A   TEACHER 

and  a  physician,  Henry  A.  Tomlinson.  Professors  Dana, 
William  D.  Whitney,  and  George  P.  Fisher,  all  men  of 
national  distinction,  were  received  as  members  in  1855. 
For  a  time  Dana  was  a  regular  and  interested  attendant, 
but  ill-health  and  the  necessity  of  avoiding  all  social  ex- 
citement soon  closed  the  pleasure  of  these  meetings  to 
one  who  would  have  enjoyed  them  highly. 

For  a  time  he  attended  the  meetings  of  the  American 
Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  and  the 
National  Academy  of  Sciences,  and  in  both  these  organ- 
izations he  was  elected  President.  His  address  at  the 
Albany  meeting  of  the  association  first  named  was  re- 
garded as  a  masterly  and  comprehensive  review  of 
American  geology. 

But  he  had  no  liking  for  such  assemblies,  and  as  years 
went  on  he  excused  himself  more  and  more  frequently 
from  engagements  which  took  him  away  from  home  at 
periods  fixed  for  the  convenience  of  others. 

His  rides  and  walks  about  New  Haven  furnished  the 
material  for  a  series  of  interesting  articles  upon  the  physi- 
cal aspects  of  that  region,  which  were  published  in  a 
college  weekly,  and  were  afterwards  republished  in  a 
pamphlet,  that  will  always  be  readable  and  suggestive, 
entitled  The  Four  Rocks. 

There  is  a  certain  standard  of  professorial  life  which 
measures  the  value  of  a  teacher  by  the  number  of  recita- 
tions that  he  hears,  or  by  the  skill  with  which  he  exacts 
attention  to  the  lessons  of  a  class-book.  Not  so  should 
the  greatest  teachers  be  estimated.  They  are  the  greatest 
who  can  awaken  in  their  followers  a  love  of  knowledge 
and  show  them  how  this  knowledge  may  be  obtained  or 
verified.  To  this  class  Dana  belongs.  His  power  was 
that  of  inspiration  and  of  guidance.  He  could  arrest  the 
attention  of  his  hearers,  fill  their  minds  with  an  enthusias- 
tic love  of  science,  and  inspire  them  with  certain  principles 
which  they  would  not  forget  as  long  as  life  continued. 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

When  any  young  man  showed  a  determined  interest  in 
science,  Dana  was  always  ready  to  give  him  special  en- 
couragement and  suggestion.  Among  those  who  came 
under  his  influence  in  their  early  life,  and  have  gained 
distinction  in  different  branches  of  the  sciences  that  he 
taught,  may  be  named  George  J.  Brush,  William  H. 
Brewer,  William  P.  Blake,  Othniel  C.  Marsh,  Addison 
E.  Verrill,  Sidney  I.  Smith,  Edward  S.  Dana,  and  Henry 
S.  Williams,  professors  in  Yale;  Clarence  King,  Charles 
D.  Walcott,  and  Arnold  Hague,  of  the  United  States 
Geological  Survey;  George  H.  Williams  and  William  B. 
Clark,  of  the  Johns  Hopkins  University  in  Baltimore. 

More  than  once  Dana's  classes  thanked  him  in  cere- 
monious letters  for  his  instruction.  Here  is  that  of  the 
class  of  1856: 

"YALE  COLLEGE,  Mar.  31,  1856. 

"  In  view  of  your  course  of  lectures  on  geology  now 
about  to  close,  the  senior  class  desire  to  assure  you  of  the 
satisfaction  and  pleasure  afforded  them  in  listening  to  a 
course  so  highly  interesting  and  eminently  instructive ;  and 
to  tender  you  their  sincere  acknowledgments  of  the  same. 
It  affords  us,  Sir,  no  little  gratification  that  we  have  been 
the  first  class  privileged  to  enjoy  your  teachings;  and  be 
assured  we  shall  ever  cherish  the  most  grateful  apprecia- 
tion of  your  efforts  as  an  instructor  and  kindness  as  a 
friend. 

"  In  parting  we  tender  you,  Sir,  the  thanks  and  most 
cordial  good  wishes  of  the  Class  of  '56. 
"  In  behalf  of  the  class, 

"  CHARLES  T.  CATLIN, 
"  JOHN  MASON  BROWN, 
"  M.  H.  ARNOT." 

And  here  is  the  master's  reply: 

"  Before  parting  permit  me  to  express  my  gratification 
with  the  sentiments  yesterday  conveyed  to  me  from  the 
members  of  the  Class  attending  this  course.  In  my 
opening  lecture  I  requested  your  willing  ears ;  and  I  have 

166 


REGARD   OF   HIS   PUPILS 

had,  as  I  believe,  more, — your  deeply  interested  atten- 
tion. The  relation  of  professor  to  student  was  to  me 
personally  a  new  one ;  for  I  had  long  been  accustomed 
to  that  only  of  gentleman  with  gentleman.  It  has  been 
my  special  pleasure  that  this  last  relation  has  been  con- 
tinued into  my  new  trial  of  college  life ;  and  I  shall  re- 
member with  peculiar  satisfaction  my  pleasant  intercourse 
with  the  Class  of  1856.  To  them  all  I  tender  my  wishes 
for  their  future  success  and  happiness." 

He  also  received  from  an  optional  class,  in  1877,  a 
letter  of  thanks,  to  which  he  made  the  following  reply : 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  June  28,  1877. 
' '  My  dear  Friends  and  Pupils  of  the  Class  of  i8jj  : 

"  Your  very  kind  words  I  have  read  and  reread,  re- 
joicing that  I  have  been  able  to  give  you  both  profit  and 
pleasure  in  connection  with  your  geological  studies, — and 
also  that  the  first  optional  class  in  geology  was  composed 
of  just  such  young  men  as  yourselves,  so  full  of  interest 
in  the  science  and  so  ready  for  outdoor  as  well  as  indoor 
work.  Your  delight  as  we  have  walked  and  talked — 
whether  while  ranging  through  sandstone  and  granite 
quarries,  or  climbing  trap-mountains,  or  traversing  gorges 
with  their  lakes  and  ice-caves,  or  navigating  an  archipel- 
ago of  Archaean  thimbles*  has  always  been  to  me  a  de- 
light, and  has  more  than  repaid  me  for  what  I  have  done. 
And  now  I  have  double  pay  in  your  parting  message. 
It  is  my  way,  you  know,  to  try  to  square  off  even ;  and 
although  this  is  not  wholly  possible  in  the  present  case, 
I  do  what  I  can  toward  it  in  sending  you  each  a  copy  of 
one  of  my  recent  memoirs,  which  will  help  to  keep  New 
England  geology  in  mind. 

With  earnest  wishes  for  your  best  welfare, 
I  remain  your  sincere  friend, 

"  JAMES  D.  DANA." 

Professor  Walcott,  the  head  of  the  United  States  Geo- 
logical Survey,  whose  early  home,  like  that  of  Dana, 
Gray,  and  H.  Williams,  was  in  central  New  York,  said: 
*An  allusion  to  Thimble  Islands  near  New  Haven, 

167 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT    DANA 

"  One  of  the  pleasantest  memories  I  have  of  Professor 
Dana  is  that  of  his  kindness  and  assistance  when  I  was  a 
young  man  working  alone  in  central  New  York.  I  wrote 
to  him,  telling  him  of  my  work,  and  in  reply  received  a 
letter  encouraging  me  to  continue,  and  offering  to  examine 
personally  any  contribution  that  I  might  make  to  geology 
or  palaeontology.  The  correspondence,  opened  in  this 
manner,  continued  for  a  number  of  years,  and  resulted  in 
great  benefit  to  me  by  the  encouragement  received,  and 
still  more  in  its  leading  me  to  make  visits  to  New  Haven, 
from  time  to  time,  to  talk  with  him. 

"I  feel  profoundly  grateful  for  the  personal  influence 
Professor  Dana  had  upon  me  as  a  young  man,  and  for 
the  influence  of  his  Manual  of  Geology  in  aiding  in  the 
shaping  of  my  geological  studies  and  work.  This  may 
be  better  understood  when  it  is  known  that  at  no  time 
did  I  have  any  instructor  in  geology." 

One  of  the  recent  Yale  graduates  has  printed  several 
anecdotes  of  his  teacher,  which  are  quite  worth  preserva- 
tion. The  writer  is  Edward  Linton,  Ph.D.,  Professor  of 
Agriculture  in  Washington,  Pa.,  and  his  communication 
appeared  in  the  Presbyterian  Messenger. 

"  I  have  known  teachers  who  prided  themselves  on 
their  ability  to  conduct  recitations  without  the  open 
text-book  before  them,  and  have  often  speculated  on  the 
amount  of  misdirected  nervous  energy  which  was  thus 
expended  in  committing  the  text-book  to  memory.  Pro- 
fessor Dana's  method  in  the  class-room  was  very  different 
from  this.  I  once  saw  him  stop  in  the  midst  of  a  recitation 
in  his  own  text-book,  which  it  is  to  be  presumed  he  knew 
fairly  well,  and,  after  turning  over  a  few  pages  hurriedly, 
putting  on  his  spectacles,  taking  them  off,  laying  them 
down  on  his  desk,  losing  them  for  a  little  while,  and  then 
finding  them  and  putting  them  on  again, — all  movements 
very  familiar  to  those  who  sat  under  his  teaching  in  the 
later  years  of  his  life, — at  last  excused  himself  and  retired 
to  his  private  room;  whence  he  soon  returned  with 
another  book,  and  after  making  the  remark  that  the  first 
book  had  a  leaf  missing,  proceeded  with  the  recitation. 
In  questioning  the  student,  he  very  carefully  followed 

J68 


ANECDOTES   OF   HIS    LIFE 

the  book.  Of  course,  it  is  easily  understood  why  he 
should  do  this.  His  knowledge  on  all  subjects  alluded 
to  in  the  text-book  was  extensive,  and  if  he  were  to  ask 
questions  from  his  knowledge  of  the  subject,  he  would, 
of  necessity,  oftentimes  be  unjust  to  the  student,  and 
injustice  was  utterly  foreign  to  Professor  Dana's 
nature. 

"  While  small  of  stature  he  was  of  commanding  pres- 
ence, yet  most  modest  and  unassuming  withal.  His 
manner  won  him  the  respect  and  esteem  of  every  one  who 
came  under  his  teaching.  My  work  with  him  was  mainly 
in  connection  with  a  small  elective  class,  but  I  was  in  the 
habit  of  attending  the  recitations  of  the  senior  class  in 
geology  for  the  sake  of  the  remarks  which  were  made 
during  the  course  of  the  recitation.  There  never  was  the 
slightest  disorder  in  the  room,  although  one  day,  I  re- 
member, an  incident  occurred  which  at  first  looked,  or 
rather  sounded,  like  disorder.  During  the  progress  of 
the  recitation  a  match-head  was  accidentally  exploded  by 
some  one.  I  remember  yet  the  hurt  look  which  came  on 
the  venerable  teacher's  sensitive  face  and  the  quiet  remark 
which  he  made  a  few  moments  later.  At  the  end  of  the 
recitation  fully  a  dozen  students,  from  the  part  of  the 
room  where  the  disturbance  had  occurred,  stopped  at 
the  Professor's  desk  and  assured  him  that  the  noise  was 
accidental.  The  quite  evident  feeling  of  relief  with  which 
he  received  this  assurance  was  very  pleasant  to  see. 

"  His  presentation  of  scientific  facts  was  almost  purely 
impersonal.  Out  of  the  wealth  of  experience  which  he 
had  enjoyed  as  a  young  man  when  naturalist  in  the  famous 
Wilkes  Expedition — famous  more  because  of  his  work 
in  connection  with  it  than  for  any  other  reason — he  might 
have  drawn  almost  daily  for  illustrations.  He  almost 
never  said,  '  I  have  seen/  or,  '  I  have  visited  this  or  that 
locality.' 

"  His  disposition  was  most  kindly.  This,  indeed,  could 
be  seen  in  the  whole  bearing  of  the  man.  I  remember  an 
Armenian  student  who  had  been  studying  for  some  time 
in  this  country,  and  who,  in  1881-82,  was  taking  geology 
and  kindred  studies  in  Yale,  preparatory  to  going  back  to 
Turkey  as  a  teacher  and  missionary.  We  called  him 
Devonian,  because  his  name  sounded  something  like  that 
of  the  age  of  fishes.  One  day  as  we  were  starting  on  a 

169 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

geological  excursion,  Professor  Dana  came  to  the  ticket- 
window  just  as  I  was  getting  my  ticket  and  bought  two 
tickets,  and  then,  coming  up  to  where  Devonian  and  I  were 
standing,  quietly  slipped  a  ticket  into  the  Armenian's 
hand.  The  reason  for  this  charity  was  evident.  The 
Armenian  could  not  afford  the  expense  of  these  geological 
trips,  some  of  which  were  quite  extensive,  and  Professor 
Dana  was  simply  helping  him  to  some  knowledge  and 
experience  which  might  be  useful  to  him  as  a  missionary 
teacher.  This  was  a  little  thing  and  might  mean  little  or 
much,  according  to  the  spirit  in  which  it  was  done.  It 
was  assuredly  alms  of  the  kind  not  intended  to  be  seen  of 
men. 

"  Although  he  had  been  teaching  geology  for  many 
years  and  had  been  taking  students  over  the  New  Haven 
region  so  long  that  one  would  have  thought  his  enthu- 
siasm would  have  begun  to  flag,  yet,  on  the  excursions  in 
the  fall  of  1 88 1,  he  was  as  energetic  and  enthusiastic  as  a 
boy.  I  remember  our  first  excursion  very  well.  I  think 
there  must  have  been  over  fifty  students  who  started  on 
this  excursion ;  most  of  them  were  armed  with  hammers, 
which  they  used  with  great  vigor  on  the  boulders  which 
strew  the  New  Haven  plain.  Although  he  had  to  repeat 
the  same  thing  many  times  when  students  would  come  to 
him  with  a  piece  of  granite,  or  trap,  or  slate,  or  sandstone, 
he  was  always  patient  and  explained  again  and  again, 
without  the  least  sign  of  weariness  or  lack  of  interest. 
At  times  our  course  led  us  over  a  strip  of  meadow  where 
there  were  no  exposures;  then,  or  sometimes  between 
places  of  special  interest,  the  Professor  would  break  into 
a  sharp  trot,  which  the  best  sprinters  present  did  not  care 
to  outdo  for  very  long.  By  the  time  we  had  visited  the 
trap-dikes  of  Mill  Rock  and  Whitney  Park  there  were  less 
than  a  dozen  left  of  the  fifty,  and  over,  who  had  so  bravely 
started.  .  .  . 

"  In  July,  1882,  I  had  the  rare  pleasure  of  accompany- 
ing Professor  Dana  on  a  trip  occupying  several  days,  into 
northwestern  Connecticut  and  southwestern  Massachu- 
setts. We  spent  the  Fourth  of  July  in  Canaan,  Connecti- 
cut, a  beautiful  region  of  the  country, 

'  Where  every  prospect  pleases, 
And  only  man  is  vile.' 


ANECDOTES    OF   HIS    LIFE 

These  lines  from  Bishop  Heber's  familiar  hymn  kept  run- 
ning in  my  mind  like  a  refrain  on  the  evening  of  that 
Fourth  of  July ;  for  after  riding  over  the  charming  country 
on  a  bright  forenoon  and  enjoying  the  delightful  prospect 
and  experiencing  the  elevation  of  mind  which  came  from 
a  near  association  with  such  a  lover  and  interpreter  of 
nature  as  Professor  Dana,  we  came  back  to  the  little  hotel 
and  humanity,  in  the  shape  of  a  crowd  of  intoxicated 
men,  who  were  celebrating  the  day  by  indulging  in  a 
drunken  brawl.  It  was  like  coming  down  from  the  trans- 
figured life  of  the  mount  to  the  disillusion  of  the  plain 
below. 

"  The  succeeding  days  were  pleasanter  and  unspoiled 
by  the  trail  of  the  serpent.  A  journey  among  the  lovely 
Berkshire  Hills  of  itself  makes  a  place  of  rest  and  delight 
in  the  memory,  but  with  such  a  companion  and  in  the 
bright  summer  weather,  the  memory  of  Lenox  and  Lee 
and  Stockbridge  and  Great  Barrington,  and  the  country- 
side round  about,  is  a  delight  indeed. 

"  On  this  trip  Professor  Dana  was  especially  interested 
in  tracing  the  limits  of  certain  limestone  formations.  I 
remember  one  day  when  we  were  riding  along  near  Lee 
we  came  to  an  abrupt  turn  in  the  road,  where  what  ap- 
peared to  be  a  granite  rock  was  exposed  by  the  roadside. 
An  exposure  of  limestone  was  to  have  been  expected 
here.  Now,  although  I  usually  tried  to  do  the  work  of 
collecting  material,  in  this  case,  before  I  could  hand  the 
lines  to  Professor  Dana,  he  had  jumped  from  the  buggy 
and  was  looking  at  a  piece  of  the  rock  through  a  pocket 
lens.  He  was  just  saying,  '  Yes,  that  is  certainly  gneiss,' 
when  a  countryman  came  riding  by  in  a  wagon,  and  with 
an  unmistakable  Yankee  accent  said,  '  I  reckon  you  call 
that  there  rock  limestone,  don't  you  ? '  Professor  Dana 
looked  up  and  said:  '  No,  it  's  a  kind  of  granite.'  He 
used  the  name  granite  and  not  the  unfamiliar  name  gneiss, 
which  is  a  kind  of  granite  rock.  The  countryman  an- 
swered, '  Well,  it  effervesces  with  acid,  anyhow.'  I  have 
a  very  vivid  picture  in  my  memory  of  the  way  Professor 
Dana  whipped  out  his  pocket  lens,  which  he  had  put  away 
while  the  conversation  was  going  on,  and  glued  his  eye  to 
it.  After  a  moment  or  two  he  looked  up  and  laughed,  at 
the  same  time  looking  just  a  little  '  beat,'  and  acknow- 
ledged that  the  countryman  was  right.  The  man  proved 

171 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

to  be  well  acquainted  with  the  rocks  of  the  region,  having 
been  with  Professor  Hitchcock  a  good  deal  while  he  was 
working  up  the  geology  of  western  Massachusetts  many 
years  before.  I  still  have  the  piece  of  limestone  in  my 
collection,  which  Professor  Dana,  the  author  of  the  great- 
est work  on  scientific  mineralogy  in  our  language  or  any 
other,  had  identified  for  him  by  this  countryman  of  Lee." 

Professor  O.  C.  Farrington,  who  received  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Philosophy  at  Yale  in  1891,  gives  his  reminis- 
cences in  these  words : 

"  Glancing  over  the  notes  of  his  talks  which  I  made 
during  the  two  years  that  I  was  privileged  to  study  under 
his  instruction,  I  find  many  aphorisms  which  he  let  fall 
indicating  the  methods  by  which  his  own  success  in 
scientific  work  was  attained.  Thus,  when  stating  the 
different  theories  which  had  been  proposed  regarding  the 
mode  of  formation  of  coral  islands,  he  expressed  a  wish 
that  borings  might  be  made  so  as  to  learn  on  what  founda- 
tions the  islands  rest,  remarking,  '  When  I  get  at  a  thing 
I  want  to  go  to  the  bottom  of  it,  and  then  I  am  willing  to 
leave  it/  The  remark  reminds  one  much  of  the  answer 
given  by  Lincoln  to  a  question  as  to  how  he  gained  so 
clear  a  knowledge  of  the  subjects  with  which  he  dealt, 
when  he  said,  '  I  cannot  rest  easy  when  I  am  handling  a 
thought  till  I  have  it  bounded  upon  the  north,  upon  the 
south,  upon  the  east,  and  upon  the  west.' 

"  Another  maxim  which  it  would  be  well  to  keep  in 
mind  in  these  days  of  easy  publication  Professor  Dana 
gave  utterance  to  when,  in  referring  to  some  of  the  theories 
which  were  being  advanced  at  the  time  to  account  for  the 
subsidences  of  the  earth's  crust,  he  said :  '  I  think  it  bet- 
ter to  doubt  until  you  know.  Too  many  people  assert 
and  then  let  others  doubt.' 

"  The  same  judicial  poise  was  exhibited  in  his  readiness 
to  change  his  former  opinions  when  he  became  convinced 
that  the  evidence  was  sufficient  to  warrant  it.  Absolute 
candor  and  desire  to  support  only  the  truth  as  he  saw  the 
truth  were  among  his  principal  characteristics,  and  he 
sought  constantly  to  impress  upon  his  students  their  im- 
portance as  factors  of  success  in  the  pursuit  of  know- 
ledge. 

172 


HIS   MODE    OF   TEACHING 

"  Thus  in  studying  the  Cambrian  era,  which  the  labors 
of  Walcott  and  others  at  that  time  had  shown  to  be  of 
far  greater  extent  and  importance  than  had  previously 
been  supposed,  his  students  were  told  to  regard  it  as  of 
equal  importance  with  the  Lower  Silurian,  though  in  his 
text-book  it  was  one  of  the  subdivisions  of  the  latter,  and 
his  remark  at  the  time  was,  '  I  have  found  it  best  to  be 
always  afloat  in  regard  to  opinions  on  geology/ 

"  So,  too,  in  accepting  as  divisions  of  independent  con- 
tinental progress,  the  Eastern  Border,  Eastern  Conti- 
nental, Interior  Continental,  Western  Continental,  and 
Western  Border  regions,  a  classification  which  differed 
from  that  which  he  had  previously  made,  he  said:  '  I 
always  like  to  change  when  I  can  make  a  change  for  the 
better. ' 

"  In  adopting  views  which  had  been  originated  by- 
others,  he  never  sought  to  assume  from  them  any  credit 
to  himself,  but  freely  gave  honor  to  whom  honor  was  due. 
This  was  well  illustrated  in  his  espousal  of  Darwin's 
theory  of  the  formation  of  coral  islands.  It  was  a  subject 
to  which  before  the  publication  of  Darwin's  views  he  had 
himself  given  much  thought,  without  arriving  in  his  own 
mind  at  any  satisfactory  hypothesis.  '  As  soon  as  Dar- 
win published  his  theory,  however,'  he  said,  '  I  saw  at 
once  that  it  solved  the  difficulties  of  the  case,'  and  though 
he  did  much  to  expand  and  verify  it,  he  never  claimed  it 
in  any  degree  as  his  own.  His  change  of  opinion  regard- 
ing the  theory  of  evolution  is  likewise  well  known,  and  he 
never  hesitated  to  mention  it  in  his  lectures  upon  the 
subject. 

"  Upon  those,  however,  who  sought  to  gain  scientific 
repute  by  any  other  means  than  a  careful  and  unbiased 
study  of  facts,  his  strictures  were  severe.  One  geologist 
of  some  prominence  he  described  as  '  a  man  of  wonderful 
resources,  because  he  had  only  to  go  to  his  own  brain 
for  facts,'  and  his  students  were  often  warned  against  ac- 
cepting any  of  such  an  observer's  conclusions. 

'  Woe  likewise  to  the  student  who  sought  to  conceal 
the  bubble  of  his  ignorance  with  a  thin  varnish  of  words. 
The  bubble  would  be  pricked  with  a  celerity  and  sudden- 
ness that  left  no  desire  for  a  repetition  of  the  experiment. 

"  No  man,  however,  was  ever  more  ready,  even  eager, 
to  assist  those  who  wanted  to  obtain  knowledge.  While 

'73 


LIFE  OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

he  had  no  time  to  waste  on  those  who  studied  geology 
only  as  a  matter  of  form,  his  resources  were  freely  at  the 
disposal  of  any  who  displayed  intelligent  interest  in  the 
subject. 

"  One  way  in  which  he  evinced  this  was  by  the  long 
walks  which  he  was  wont  to  take  with  his  students  about 
New  Haven,  or  other  trips  to  places  more  distant. 
Though  these  were  over  the  same  ground  year  after  year, 
he  never  seemed  to  weary  of  the  journey  so  long  as  his 
students  showed  any  desire  to  be  instructed  by  what  they 
saw.  Even  to  the  very  last  of  his  life  these  trips  were 
continued,  the  teacher  of  nearly  fourscore  years  travelling 
over  rocky  steeps  and  through  brambly  thickets  with  all 
the  ease  and  sprightliness  of  youth  and  at  a  pace  which 
his  younger  followers  found  difficult  to  imitate.  The 
number  and  variety  of  illustrations  of  geological  prin- 
ciples which  he  could  point  out  in  such  walks  of  a  few 
hours  were  indeed  remarkable,  and  taught  his  students 
that  they  need  not  go  to  distant  parts  of  the  earth  to 
make  geological  observations,  for  they  could  find  material 
sufficient  for  study  at  their  own  door.  The  trap-ridges, 
kettle-holes,  and  boulder  trains  of  the  vicinity  of  New 
Haven  have  thus  become  of  classic  interest,  not  because 
they  presented  any  unusual  features,  but  because  Profes- 
sor Dana  resided  near  them,  studied  them,  and  gave  to 
the  world  the  results  of  his  observations. 

"  No  operation  that  was  carried  on  within  the  range  of 
his  observation,  the  details  of  which  could  add  to  the  sum 
of  geological  knowledge  or  help  solve  any  of  its  problems, 
seemed  to  escape  his  notice.  Every  railroad  cut,  every 
survey,  every  excavation,  and  every  boring  he  carefully 
watched,  and  gained  from  them  facts  which  helped  him 
interpret  the  past  history  of  the  earth. 

"  The  bricks  which  were  burned  in  the  Quinnipiac  kilns 
he  had  analyzed  in  order  to  learn  why  they  fused  so 
easily,  and  gained  thereby  important  information  regard- 
ing the  source  of  the  clay.  By  the  dolomitic  blocks  of 
the  State-house  he  illustrated  to  his  classes  the  principles 
of  the  disintegration  of  limestone,  and  by  the  granite 
pillars  of  the  Peabody  Museum  the  expansion  of  stone 
by  heat.  From  watching  the  drying  of  a  drop  of  milk  on 
a  stone  floor  he  derived  an  explanation  of  the  forms  pro- 
duced by  concretionary  consolidation,  and  by  experi- 

174 


INVESTIGATION   ENCOURAGED 

menting  with  varieties  of  sand  dropped  about  an  upright 
darning-needle  established  the  principles  governing  the 
angle  of  rest  for  falling  detritus. 

"  His  ability  to  retain  in  his  mind  various  phases  of 
geological  evidence,  and  develop  them  as  time  progressed, 
was  likewise  remarkable.  Thus,  in  1889,  in  his  teaching 
he  laid  much  more  stress  on  the  influence  of  the  Cincin- 
nati uplift  in  determining  the  character  of  the  rocks  of  the 
interior  of  the  continent  than  he  had  previously  done  in 
his  Manual,  for  he  said  he  had  never  so  fully  realized  its 
importance  as  he  had  that  year. 

"  Nor  were  his  students  compelled  to  receive  obsolete 
theories  or  time-worn  illustrations  because  he  had  held  or 
used  them  in  the  past.  On  the  contrary,  they  were  kept 
informed  of  the  newest  discoveries  and  latest  phases  of 
geological  thought  and  urged  to  judge  for  themselves  of 
their  importance  and  bearing  upon  previously  attested 
principles.  With  all  the  varied  lines  of  thought  and  dis- 
covery he  kept  in  closest  touch,  and  seemed  equally  ap- 
preciative of  their  value,  whether  they  related  to  the 
eruptions  of  Kilauea,  the  Algonquin  formation,  mesozoic 
mammals,  the  causes  of  oscillation  of  the  earth's  surface, 
or  what  not.  Of  this  progressiveness  and  appreciation  of 
all  additions  to  the  sum  of  geological  knowledge  his  newly 
published  Manual  gives  sufficient  evidence. 

"  The  quality  in  an  investigator  which,  other  things 
being  equal,  he  seemed  to  esteem  most  highly,  was  that 
of  carefulness.  How  often  were  his  students  advised  to 
trust  or  to  doubt  the  statements  of  an  author  according 
as  he  was  or  was  not,  in  the  opinion  of  Professor  Dana,  a 
careful  man !  With  hasty  and  ill-considered  conclusions 
or  elaborate  theories  built  from  meagre  observations  he 
had  no  patience,  but  to  opinions  which  he  believed  had 
been  derived  from  a  careful  and  thorough  study  of  facts 
he  was  ever  ready  to  give  the  fullest  consideration,  how- 
ever much  they  might  be  opposed  to  his  previous  con- 
clusions. '  More,'  he  said, '  could  be  learned  by  studying 
unconformities  than  conformities,'  and  this  he  believed 
to  be  as  true  of  unconformable  opinions  as  of  heterogene- 
ous strata. 

The  awakening  in  his  mind  of  the  interest  in  science 
which  became  the  ruling  passion  of  his  life,  and  led  to  his 
signal  achievements  for  its  advance,  Professor  Dana  used 

175 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

to  ascribe  largely  to  two  causes,  one  that  of  having  spent 
much  of  his  early  life  in  the  country,  the  other,  his  first 
teacher.  In  connection  with  the  first  he  used  to  deplore 
the  lack  of  development  of  the  faculties  of  observation 
and  the  ignorance  of  nature  consequent  upon  life  in  the 
city,  and  placed  a  high  estimate  upon  the  education  un- 
consciously gained  by  an  association  with  the  beings  and 
phenomena  of  the  natural  world.  As  an  illustration  of 
this,  the  author  recalls  an  occasion  when,  having  passed 
in  vain  nearly  around  the  class  for  a  statement  of  the  dif- 
ferences between  a  moss  and  a  phenogamous  plant,  Pro- 
fessor Dana  turned  to  one  of  the  few  remaining  who  had 
not  confessed  their  ignorance,  with  the  remark,  '  You  are 
from  the  country;  you  ought  to  know/  And  he  did. 

"  Professor  Dana's  first  teacher  was  an  ardent  student 
of  nature  who  was  wont  to  go  with  his  pupils  on  long 
tramps  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  minerals,  plants,  and 
insects,  and  aroused  in  them  much  of  his  own  eagerness 
for  the  pursuit  of  knowledge.  It  is  therefore  but  just 
that  some  of  the  fame  of  his  distinguished  pupil  should 
be  attributed  to  him.  One  incident  which  Professor 
Dana  used  to  relate  to  illustrate  his  teacher's  fervor  as  a 
collector  was  that  when  on  one  occasion  his  little  party 
had  gathered  at  a  remote  place  more  mineral  specimens 
than  they  could  carry  in  their  hands,  the  master,  in  pref- 
erence to  leaving  any  behind,  improvised  a  bag  from  a 
pair  of  trousers,  and  thus  bore  them  safely  to  their 
destination." 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  duties  of  Professor 
Dana  were  only  those  required  by  the  college.  His  self- 
imposed  tasks  were  equally  engrossing.  In  the  first  place 
there  was  the  supervision  of  the  American  Journal  of 
Science.  Of  course  he  was  assisted  in  this  arduous  and 
unceasing  work  by  able  collaborators,  resident  and  non- 
resident; but  the  reading  and  selection  of  articles,  the 
oversight  of  the  press,  the  conduct  of  the  correspond- 
ence, and  the  financial  burden  devolved  upon  him  as  the 
managing  editor.  Then  his  work  as  an  author  was  also 
continuous.  The  three  great  Reports,  the  successive 
editions  of  the  Mineralogy,  the  Manual  of  Geology  and 


ILL-HEALTH 

the  smaller  Geology,  and  later  the  works  on  Volcanoes  and 
Coral  Islands,  besides  numerous  contributions  to  the 
current  journals,  are  the  proofs  of  his  unceasing  industry. 
But  although  unremitting  in  labor,  he  was  not  "  inde- 
fatigable," for  weariness  from  time  to  time  overcame 
him,  and  compelled  him  to  take  long  periods  of  rest  and 
observe  a  rigid  regimen  in  respect  to  exercise  and  sleep. 
Of  these  unfavorable  conditions  of  health  the  pages  of 
this  memoir  give  many  illustrations,  but  it  may  be  worth 
while  to  state,  in  a  single  paragraph,  the  crises  through 
which  he  went. 

Incessant  mental  exertion  impaired  his  health  when 
he  was  about  forty-five  years  old,  notwithstanding  the 
orderly  quiet  and  the  temperance  of  his  domestic  life. 
The  warnings  became  so  serious  that  at  length  he  deter- 
mined to  go  abroad  with  his  wife  and  try  the  effect  of 
complete  separation  from  his  usual  avocations.  This 
journey  to  Europe  extended  from  October,  1859,  to 
August,  1860,  a  rest  of  ten  months,  of  which  three  were 
spent  in  Switzerland.  One  of  the  minor  fruits  of  this 
relaxation  was  a  vade-mecum  prepared  for  the  use  of 
students  who  might  wish  to  see  the  Alps  by  a  very 
moderate  expenditure  of  money. 

For  some  years  after  his  return  the  powers  of  the 
naturalist  seemed  to  be  restored,  and  it  was  then  that  the 
large  Manual  of  Geology  and  the  smaller  text-book  were 
made  ready  for  publication,  between  1862  and  1864,  and 
the  large  Mineralogy  in  1868.  Again  he  broke  down, 
and  his  lectures  were  read  to  the  students  by  his  younger 
colleague,  Professor  O.  C.  Marsh.  In  1869-70  he  suffered 
from  a  severe  attack  of  fever,  which  completely  prostrated 
him,  and  from  which  his  recovery  was  slow.  Again  in 
1874,  another  illness,  proceeding  from  a  cold,  disabled 
him  for  a  time.  In  1880,  he  was  compelled  to  seek  re- 
lease from  college  duties.  Then  came  a  decade  when  his 
intellectual  activity  was  regulated  by  the  strictest  care. 

177 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

Finally,  in  October,  1890,  he  was  obliged  to  relinquish 
all  his  college  duties.  Nevertheless,  his  perceptions  re- 
mained as  clear,  his  memory  was  as  good,  and  his  power 
of  statement  was  as  exact  as  ever.  Up  to  a  day  or  two 
before  his  death,  as  elsewhere  stated,  his  mind  and  body 
retained  their  usual  activity.  His  career  is  a  wonderful 
story  of  endurance  and  self-control, — an  example,  rarely 
paralleled,  of  the  power  of  the  will  to  resist  the  infirmities 
of  the  body. 


CHAPTER  X 

SCIENCE   AND   RELIGION 

Dana's  Religious  Convictions — Relation  of  Science  and  Religion — At- 
tempted Reconciliation  of  Geology  and  Genesis — Reply  to  Tayler 
Lewis — Friendly  Words  of  Approval — Guyot's  Influence — Later  Views 
— Characteristics  of  his  Religious  Life. 

SOON  after  entering  upon  his  professorship,  Professor 
Dana  became  involved  in  a  discussion  respecting  the 
relation  of  science  and  religion,  which  for  more  than  a 
year  occupied  his  thoughts  and  his  pen.  The  incident 
which  arrested  his  attention  was  the  appearance  of  a  book 
by  a  scholar  and  theologian,  Professor  Tayler  Lewis,  on 
the  Mosaic  cosmogony,  and  especially  on  the  relations  of 
science  to  the  Bible. 

This  episode  affords  an  opportunity  to  consider  the  re- 
ligious convictions  of  Dana,  which  were  strong  and  con- 
tinuous from  the  beginning  of  life  to  its  close.  The 
reader  of  his  letters  has  already  seen  abundant  indications 
of  his  firm  Christian  faith,  and  this  will  be  more  appar- 
ent as  his  life  advances.  Yet  the  questions  that  occupy 
thoughtful  religious  men  at  the  close  of  the  nineteenth 
century  are  so  different  from  those  which  were  dominant 
thirty  or  forty  years  ago,  and  the  phraseology  of  that 
time  now  appears  so  antiquated  and  to  many  so  unintel- 
ligible, that  a  brief  discussion'  of  Dana's  spiritual  and  in- 
tellectual attitude  toward  religion  may  furnish  the  key  to 
many  expressions  which  are  found  in  his  books  and  his 
letters. 

179 


LIFE    OF   JAMES    DWIGHT    DANA 

Dana  grew  up  in  a  family  of  sincerely  devout  people, 
connected  with  an  orthodox  church,  unquestioning  heirs 
of  the  Puritan  views  generally  prevalent  in  New  England 
and  in  central  New  York  during  the  first  half  of  this 
century.  His  parents  were  not  troubled,  apparently,  by 
any  of  the  minor  differences  of  religious  denominations, 
but  without  question  they  accepted  the  Scriptures  as  the 
Word  of  God,  and  believed  in  the  duty  of  personal  con- 
secration to  the  service  of  Christ.  Thus  the  bent  was 
given  to  his  religious  nature.  The  earliest  letter  of  his 
that  is  extant,  the  simple  expression  of  a  boy  of  twelve 
years  old,  asks  that  a  Testament  may  be  sent  him,  as  the 
Sunday-school  has  not  any  that  he  can  use.  During  his 
college  life  and  subsequent  residence  in  New  Haven,  prior 
to  the  Expedition,  he  doubtless  came  under  the  influences 
of  what  were  then  called  revivals  of  religion,  but  his  calm 
and  tranquil  spirit  was  not  affected  by  them.  Not  long 
before  his  departure  for  the  voyage  around  the  world, 
letters  from  home  acquainted  him  with  the  change  of 
heart  which  several  of  his  brothers  and  sisters  had  experi- 
enced, and  James,  under  the  additional  influence  of  cer- 
tain friends  in  New  Haven, — Robert  Bakewell  and  Henry 
White  among  the  number,— made  an  open  profession  of 
his  Christian  faith  by  becoming  a  member  of  the  First 
Church  in  New  Haven,  of  which  the  distinguished  Rev. 
Dr.  Leonard  Bacon  was  then  pastor. 

There  are  letters  of  this  period  which  record  his  re- 
ligious experiences,  but  they  are  quite  too  confidential 
and  sacred  to  be  here  reproduced.  Ever  afterwards,  to 
the  end  of  his  life,  amid  the  excitements  and  the  distrac- 
tions of  nautical  life,  in  hours  of  danger,  and  in  the  quiet 
pursuit  of  science,  his  devotion  was  manifest.  It  was 
never  obtrusive.  He  was  not  a  man  who  employed  cant 
phrases  or  who  was  eager  to  express  his  most  sacred 
thoughts  or  display  his  emotions.  Nor  was  he  tenacious 
of  denominational  tenets,  or  inclined  to  philosophical  and 

1 80 


RELIGIOUS    NATURE 

ecclesiastical  discussions.  On  the  other  hand,  no  one  was 
ever  admitted  to  his  intimacy,  on  shipboard  or  on  land, 
as  a  visitor  in  his  family  or  as  a  correspondent,  without 
discovering  the  simplicity,  the  honesty,  and  the  beauty 
of  his  Christian  character.  He  was  not  only  a  man  with- 
out guile, — he  was  a  man  of  strong  convictions,  definite 
principles,  and  devout  aspirations,  ever  manifested  by 
that  "  most  excellent  gift  of  charity,  the  very  bond  of 
peace  and  of  all  virtues."  Striking  illustrations  might 
be  given  of  the  light  which  was  shed  by  his  steady  adher- 
ence under  adverse  circumstances  to  the  essentials  of 
Christianity,  and  by  his  outspoken  words,  while  his  life 
was  devoted  to  the  fearless  discovery  of  nature  and  the 
defense  of  scientific  truth. 

With  Arnold  Guyot's  views  he  was  especially  in 
sympathy,  and  perhaps  no  better  summary  of  his  beliefs 
could  be  given  than  that  which  is  attributed  to  another 
devoted  and  lifelong  friend,  Asa  Gray,  the  botanist.* 
Under  the  trying  conditions  of  prolonged  ill-health,  which 
made  the  end  of  active  work  seem  near,  day  after  day, 
for  more  than  thirty  years,  Dana's  patience  and  submis- 
sion were  invariable.  As  old  age  came  on,  he  lost  no 
courage.  He  cheered  his  contemporaries  by  his  resolute 
faith,  and  he  set  an  example  of  serenity  and  faith  to  all 
the  younger  persons  who  came  under  his  influence.  So 
much  for  his  spiritual  nature. 

Now  a  word  respecting  his  intellectual  attitude  toward 
religion.  In  order  that  this  may  be  understood,  the 
state  of  this  country  during  his  earlier  years,  and  espe- 
cially between  1830  and  1860,  must  be  borne  in  mind. 
Science  had  not  then  established  its  position  in  college 
courses,  nor  in  the  confidence  of  educated  religious  men, 
as  it  did  at  a  later  date.  Ministers  and  churches  saw  its 
approaches  with  apprehension.  They  were  alarmed  by 

*  See  the  Memorial  Sermon  of  Rev.  A.  McKenzie,  D.D.,  respecting  Pro- 
fessor Gray,  Cambridge,  1888. 

181 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

its  teachings,  and  afraid  of  its  destructive  influences. 
Silliman  carried  on  a  controversy  with  Moses  Stuart,  of 
Andover,  respecting  the  time  during  which  creation 
made  its  progress, — the  former  claiming  that  the  "  days  " 
of  Genesis  were  long  and  undefined  "  ages,"  the  other 
claiming,  on  the  authority  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures,  that 
"  days  "  meant  periods  of  twenty-four  hours.  The  col- 
lege preacher,  Dr.  Fitch,  in  a  sermon  before  the  students, 
enforced  the  doctrine  that  "  days"  meant  solar  days. 
Some  of  the  orthodox  claimed  that  marine  fossils,  found 
on  lofty  summits  remote  from  seas,  were  evidences  of  the 
universal  deluge.  It  was  even  suggested,  by  one  person, 
that  they  were  placed  there  by  the  Devil  to  confound  the 
wise.  When  Dana  and  his  wife  were  at  Saratoga  in  1844, 
they  listened  to  a  sermon  which  contained  statements 
never  forgotten  and  often  referred  to  in  future  years. 
The  clergyman  declared  that  the  world  was  created  a 
plain,  and  that  all  mountains  were  the  result — he  did  not 
explain  in  what  manner — of  Adam's  fall!  A  celebrated 
Presbyterian  clergyman  of  New  York,  in  a  lecture  before 
a  theological  seminary,  which  one  of  his  hearers  now  dis- 
tinctly recalls,  made  this  same  declaration  that  the  up- 
heaval of  mountains  was  a  consequence  of  the  fall  of 
man.  Another  minister  asserted  that  the  dislocation  of 
the  rocks  occurred  at  the  Crucifixion. 

In  January,  1857,  Professor  Dana  made  a  lecturing 
tour,  for  the  first  and  only  time.  Writing  from  Utica,  he 
says: 

"  Last  evening,  at  George's  [his  brother],  I  read  my 
other  lecture  to  the  families  and  a  few  others,  by  special 
request,  and  had  the  parlors  hung  with  the  legs  and 
bones  of  the  various  wild  beasts  of  which  the  lecture 

treats.    All  passed  off  satisfactorily,  they  say.     Mr. , 

of  the  Dutch  church,  was  present.  After  I  had  finished, 
his  questions  showed  him  to  be  quite  a  heretic.  He  was 
quite  sure  that  there  was  no  death  in  the  world  until  the 

182 


DEFENCE   OF   SCIENCE 

sin  of  Adam.     The  tigers  could  not  have  given  loose  to 
their  flesh-eating  propensities  until  the  fall." 

Writing  later  from  Buffalo,  on  the  same  trip,  Dana 
adds: 

"  I  understand  that  [a  minister  who  heard  him]  said 
that  if  science  shows  that  animals  died  before  Adam's 
fall,  the  Bible  all  goes  to  naught.  Funny  that  the  sin  of 
Adam  should  have  killed  those  old  trilobites!  The 
blunderbuss  must  have  kicked  back  into  time  at  a  tre- 
mendous rate  to  have  hit  those  poor  innocents  and  their 
associates.  Truth,  though  so  glorious  in  itself,  aye, 
heaven-born,  how  it  is  feared  and  fought  against  and 
often  persecuted  by  self-deluded  man!  Give  the  trilo- 
bites a  chance  to  speak,  and  they  would  correct  many  a 
false  dogma  in  theological  systems!  " 

It  was  under  these  circumstances  that  Dana  took  the 
attitude  of  an  uncompromising  defender  of  science,  from 
within  the  camp  of  undisputed  orthodoxy  and  from  a 
group  of  men  whose  devoutness  was  unquestionable. 

Professor  Tayler  Lewis  was  a  man  of  great  ability  and 
of  unusual  attainments  as  a  scholar.  He  had  been  a 
professor  of  Greek  literature  in  the  University  of  the  City 
of  New  York,  and  subsequently  held  a  like  position  in 
Union  College.  A  small  volume,  entitled  Science  and  the 
Bible,  in  which  he  defended  the  literal  interpretation  of 
the  word  "  days  "  in  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis,  and  cast 
aspersions  on  the  teachings  of  science  and  scientific  men, 
aroused  the  attention  of  Dana,  who  picked  up  the  glove 
thus  thrown  into  the  arena.  In  four  articles  printed  in 
the  Bibliotheca  Sacra  he  came  to  the  defense  of  geology, 
and  in  vigorous  paragraphs  attacked  the  position  of  Dr. 
Lewis.  It  is  not  worth  while,  forty  years  later,  to  review 
the  merits  of  this  controversy,  but  it  is  significant  as  an 
expression  of  Dana's  opinions  on  the  relation  of  science 
and  religion, — and  it  is  of  even  greater  importance  as  an 

183 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

illustration  of  the  utterances,  then  not  uncommon,  of  in- 
fluential teachers  of  religion. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  in  this  controversy 
Professor  Dana's  purpose  was  to  defend  the  conclusions 
he  had  reached  respecting  cosmology,  and  to  vindicate 
their  consistency  with  the  truths  of  revealed  religion. 
He  was  not  by  profession  a  biblical  exegete,  and  his  main 
contention  is  quite  separable  from  the  special  mode  which 
he  favored  of  interpreting  the  narrative  of  the  creation 
in  Genesis.  The  discussion  attracted  the  attention  of 
many  thoughtful  men ;  but  a  young  naturalist  or  a  young 
theologian  of  the  present  time  who  may  turn  to  those 
forgotten  pages  will  be  surprised  that  such  questions 
could  then  have  seemed  so  important.  All  theological 
comments  respecting  the  Bible  and  respecting  the  works 
of  creation  are  now  on  a  very  different  plane. 

There  is  a  large  file  of  letters  from  men  of  mark,  show- 
ing how  eagerly  they  read  what  Dana  had  said,  and  how 
generally  they  concurred  with  his  views.  Perhaps  the 
most  interesting  of  these  letters  is  one  from  Professor 
Agassiz,  which  will  here  be  given.  The  entire  series 
would  make  an  interesting  chapter  in  the  history  of  the 
development  of  intellectual  life  in  the  United  States,  if 
such  a  work  should  ever  be  written. 

FROM   LOUIS  AGASSIZ,  THE   NATURALIST 

"  CAMBRIDGE,  Jan.  30,  1856. 

"  Many  thanks,  my  dear  Dana,  for  your  very  friendly 
words  and  the  pamphlet  on  Science  and  the  Bible.  I  have 
just  read  it  through,  and  thank  you  heartily  for  it  and  for 
your  powerful  vindication  of  science  versus  conceited 
theology.  I  love  the  spirit  which  breathes  in  your  pages, 
and  which  has  drawn  me  so  near  to  you.  Of  course  as 
long  as  we  learn  we  shall  differ  on  more  points  from  one 
another,  as  we  differ  from  ourselves  of  yesterday  if  to-day 
has  brought  us  one  step  forward ;  but  when  the  aim  is  the 
same,  when  the  spirit  that  moves  is  not  self-glorification 

184 


LETTERS    FROM   MEN    OF   SCIENCE 

but  an  humble  desire  to  learn  the  truth,  to  be  taught  by 
Nature, to  read  the  deeds  and  the  will  of  God  in  His  works, 
what  do  minor  discrepancies  in  the  reading  of  both  Bible 
and  Nature  import !  As  often  as  I  am  thus  or  in  any  other 
way  brought  nearer  to  you  I  lament  that  I  do  not  live 
nearer  to  you,  and  have  not  more  frequent  opportunities 
of  conversing  with  you.  It  is  but  lately  I  had  a  conversa- 
tion with  Pierce  upon  the  mistaken  pretensions  of  theo- 
logians to  understand  aright  God,  as  Creator,  without 
studying  His  works,  when  I  incidentally  remarked  I 
should  not  wonder  if  the  day  would  come  when  they 
would  profess  pantheistic  views  about  creation,  and  it 
would  become  our  task  to  show  them  the  immediate 
intervention  of  the  Deity  not  only  in  the  great  tvork  of 
creation,  but  in  the  interrupted  providential  government 
of  the  material  as  well  as  the  moral  world.  I  had  then 
no  idea  that  the  case  was  so  near  at  hand,  and  I  am 
happy  that  you  have  so  promptly  met  it." 

One  correspondent  says:  <;<  Humboldt  stoutly  main- 
tained to  a  friend  of  mine  last  summer  that  it  was  not 
safe  for  a  man  to  pursue  geology  in  the  United  States, 
for  fear  of  falling  within  the  ban  of  the  Church.  He  was 
not  so  far  out  of  the  way."  Another,  a  distinguished 
Professor  of  Physics,  and  a  Southerner,  says : 

"  I  do  not  know  how  it  is  with  the  clergymen  of  New 
England,  but  can  testify  that  to  the  south  of  Connecti- 
cut, very  many,  probably  the  majority  of,  Protestant 
divines  have  only  crude  notions  of  the  relation  of  geol- 
ogy to  Scripture,  and  many  denounce  that  branch  of 
science  and  its  followers  as  infidel.  Such  a  state  of 
things  can  awaken  only  painful  emotions,  and  every  effort 
to  enlighten  these  generally  most  worthy  men  deserves 
success  and  reward." 

To  the  credit  of  the  Andover  theologian,  Rev.  Dr.  E. 
A.  Park,  then  editor  of  the  Bibliotheca,  it  may  be  added 
that  he  welcomed  Dana's  articles,  and  suggested  to  him 
to  write  a  few  prefatory  lines  in  order  to  awaken  the 
interest  of  theological  students. 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

FROM   G.    P.    BOND,  THE   ASTRONOMER 

"CAMBRIDGE,  March  18,  1856. 

"  I  beg  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  a  copy  of  your 
review  of  Professor  Lewis's  Six  Days  of  Creation. 

11  I  have  been  much  gratified  with  its  decisive  statement 
of  facts  in  those  departments  of  science,  in  geology  espe- 
cially, having  a  bearing  upon  the  question  of  the  agree- 
ment of  the  scientific  with  the  Mosaic  cosmology.  To 
my  mind,  evidence  such  as  you  have  adduced  is  convin- 
cing. Those  to  whom  the  idea  of  a  direct  revelation  made 
to  Moses  is,  a  priori,  infinitely  improbable,  will  probably 
find  means,  satisfactory  to  themselves,  for  damaging  your 
course  of  argument,  for  the  practice  of  throwing  discredit 
upon  the  writings  of  Moses,  and  especially  upon  the 
opening  chapters  of  Genesis,  prevails  so  extensively  that 
it  would  seem  to  be  one  of  the  strongest  bonds  of  sym- 
pathy uniting  the  various  forms  of  unbelief  which  infect 
the  moral  atmosphere  of  our  times." 

FROM   BENJAMIN   PIERCE,  THE   MATHEMATICIAN 

"  CAMBRIDGE,  July  n,  1856.  . 

"  The  article  commends  itself  to  me  as  the  happiest 
possible  reply  to  the  attacks  upon  the  religion  of  science. 
It  is  fortunate  for  us  that  you  have  taken  up  this  subject 
with  your  firmness,  fidelity,  and  composure.  Upon  your 
points  of  the  mutual  adaptation  of  the  human  mind  and 
God's  physical  creation,  I  have  myself  delivered  to  my 
class  a  course  of  lectures  last  winter,  which  I  expect  to 
repeat  next  winter,  either  in  New  York  or  Washington. 
I  have  looked  at  the  matter,  exclusively  and  designedly, 
from  the  geometric  standpoint,  and  think  that  you  would 
be  surprised  and  pleased  at  some  of  my  conclusions.  I 
hope  at  some  time  to  have  an  opportunity  of  submitting 
them  to  your  good  judgment  and  criticism." 

FROM   R.    H.    DANA,    JR.,    THE   WRITER   ON   INTER- 
NATIONAL  LAW 

"  CAMBRIDGE,  February  17,  1856. 

"  I  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  your  review  of  Tayler 
Lewis.  I  have  read  it  with  interest,  and  it  seems  to  be 

1 86 


VIEWS   OF   ARNOLD   GUYOT 

a  complete  answer.  I  yield,  however,  to  it  reluctantly, 
for  I  have  always  felt  a  high  admiration  of  Professor 
Lewis.  His  first  addresses,  at  Schenectady  and  Burling- 
ton (Vt.),  were  quite  favorites  with  me,  and  he  showed 
signs  of  having  one  of  the  best  minds  in  the  country. 
Moreover,  in  this  case,  I  ought  to  say  that  I  have  not 
read  Mr.  Lewis's  address,  and  that  I  am  no  judge  what- 
ever of  the  questions  of  science  or  minute  learning  in  dis- 
pute. At  Cambridge,  when  I  was  in  college,  we  had  very 
inferior  men  in  every  department  of  the  natural  sciences, 
and  the  natural  sciences  were  presented  to  us  only  as  arts, 
detached  from  all  those  moral  and  intellectual  relations 
which  command  the  respect  and  interest  the  feelings 
and  awaken  the  imaginations  of  the  young.  All  the 
best  men  took  an  unfortunate,  but,  you  will  admit,  a 
natural  pride  in  neglecting  them,  and  they  were  not  ne- 
cessary to  collegiate  rank.  I  have  often  regretted  this 
since.  The  first  person  that  taught  me  the  extent  of 
our  loss  was  the  great  Dr.  James  Marsh  (I  think  I  may 
call  him  the  great  Dr.  Marsh),  of  Burlington,  Vt.,  the 
author  of  the  preface  to  Coleridge.  He  first  presented 
to  me  the  position  of  the  study  of  the  natural  world  as  a 
part  of  a  great  system  of  education — of  development — 
culminating  in  psychology." 

It  was  largely  under  the  influence  of  Guyot  that  Dana 
continued  to  discuss  the  Mosaic  cosmogony.  These  two 
friends,  impressed  by  the  Bible  lessons  of  their  youth, 
endeavored  to  see  in  the  poetical  expressions  of  the  first 
chapter  of  Genesis  exact  statements  of  those  natural 
phenomena  which  the  eye  of  science  recognizes  in  the 
development  of  the  universe.  It  is  easy  for  us  to  see  that 
they  were  fettered  by  a  mode  of  interpreting  the  Hebrew 
Scriptures  that  is  not  now  tenable,  and  that  they  were 
supported  in  this  method  not  only  by  the  traditions  of 
early  life,  but  also  by  the  dominant  theology  of  the  com- 
munities in  which  they  dwelt.  To  the  Mosaic  cosmogony 
Dana  came  back  again  after  the  publication  of  a  volume 
entitled  Creation,  which  contained,  in  their  latest  and 
fullest  forms,  the  views  of  Guyot.  These  aspects  of  the 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

relations  of  science  and  religion  had  been  often  discussed 
by  the  two  devout  geologists  in  conversation,  and  both 
had  lectured  upon  such  subjects.  Dana  accepted  many 
of  the  positions  that  Guyot  assumed,  and  when  Creation 
appeared,  Dana  reviewed  it  in  the  Bibliotheca  Sacra  for 
April,  1885,  and  this  article  was  expanded  so  as  to  make 
a  small  volume.  A  copy  of  this  review  attracted  the 
attention  of  Mr.  Gladstone,  who  wrote  about  it  to  the 
author. 

Dana's  later  views  are  succinctly  stated  in  the  follow- 
ing letter  to  a  clergyman : 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  CONN.,  March  3,  1889. 

"  The  views  I  have  been  led  to  hold  on  evolution  are 
stated  in  my  Geology,  both  the  manual  and  the  text-book, 
at  the  close  of  the  section  on  historical  geology.  While 
admitting  the  derivation  of  man  from  an  inferior  species, 
I  believe  that  there  was  a  Divine  creative  act  at  the  origin 
of  man  ;  that  the  event  was  as  truly  a  creation  as  if  it  had 
been  from  earth  or  inorganic  matter  to  man.  I  find 
nothing  in  the  belief  to  impair  or  disturb  my  religious 
faith ;  that  is,  my  faith  in  Christ  as  the  source  of  all  hope 
for  time  and  for  eternity.  The  new  doctrines  of  science 
have  a  tendency  to  spread  infidelity.  But  it  is  because 
the  ideas  are  new  and  their  true  bearing  is  not  understood. 
The  wave  is  already  on  the  decline,  and  it  is  beginning  to 
be  seen  more  clearly  than  ever  that  science  can  have 
nothing  to  say  on  moral  or  spiritual  questions;  that  it 
fulfils  its  highest  purpose  in  manifesting  more  and  more 
the  glory  of  God." 

Professor  Fisher,  of  the  Yale  Theological  Department, 
has  favored  me  with  this  characteristic  anecdote  : 

"Professor  Dana  combined  the  utmost  accuracy  and 
thoroughness  in  the  special  branches  of  science  to  which 
he  was  chiefly  devoted  with  a  broad  and,  it  is  not  too 
much  to  say,  a  profound  comprehension  of  the  material 

188 


DR.    HORACE   BUSHNELL 

world  as  a  whole,  its  constitution  and  laws.  This  gave 
an  extraordinary  interest  to  his  scientific  expositions,  on 
occasions  when  he  chose  to  turn  aside  from  the  treatment 
of  topics  within  a  restricted  sphere. 

"  One  example  I  happen  to  recall.  At  '  The  Club  '— 
a  social  and  literary  society  of  which  Professor  Dana  was 
a  member  before  his  health  became  seriously  impaired — 
the  subject  of  discussion,  one  evening,  was  an  essay  of 
Dr.  Horace  Bushnell  in  which  that  brilliant  writer  pointed 
out  alleged  infelicities  and  deformities  in  nature,  regard- 
ing them  as  prearranged  in  anticipation  of  the  introduc- 
tion of  moral  evil, — the  baleful  shadows,  as  it  were,  of  sin. 
This  idea  Professor  Dana  controverted  with  a  warmth 
which  was  due  partly  to  the  respect  felt  by  himself,  as 
well  as  by  others,  for  the  abilities  of  the  author.  Profes- 
sor Dana's  clear  perceptions  were  associated  with  an 
earnestness  of  conviction  which  often  imparted  a  certain 
intensity  to  his  expressions.  On  this  occasion  he  traversed 
rapidly  the  field  of  material  nature.  Animals  called  hid- 
eous in  form  were  not  so  when  looked  at  as  parts  of  the 
zoological  system ;  they  were  beautiful.  Earthquakes  a 
special  contrivance  ?  If  a  thick  piece  of  glass  cools 
quickly  on  one  surface,  it  will  crack.  It  must  crack.  So 
must  the  earth  under  like  conditions.  It  belongs  to  the 
nature  of  matter.  If  the  effects  were  different,  it  would 
not  be  matter,  etc.  These  are  only  fragmentary  remi- 
niscences of  a  talk  very  suggestive  in  itself,  and  doubly 
interesting  from  the  ardor  which  made  the  speaker 
eloquent." 

It  is  doubtful  whether  in  the  range  of  Christian  biog- 
raphies of  the  nineteenth  century  the  like  of  Dana  can 
be  found.  Here  is  a  man  exclusively  devoted  to  science. 
To  this  his  interest  in  politics,  literature,  education, 
music,  society,  is  completely  subordinate.  To  explore 
the  regions  of  the  unknown,  to  tread  untrodden  fields,  to 
record  new  facts,  to  discover  better  principles  of  classi- 
fication, and  to  reveal,  if  possible,  laws  of  nature  hitherto 
hidden,  is  the  dominant  occupation  of  his  life.  But  sim- 
ultaneously— apparent  in  his  letters  as  a  traveller  and 
explorer,  manifested  constantly  in  his  correspondence  with 

189 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

his  mother,  often  revealed  in  his  scientific  writings,  and 
perpetually  shown  in  his  daily  walk  and  conversation — 
the  transcendent  purpose  of  his  soul  is  the  service  of  his 
Master.  "  Lord,  I  thank  Thee  that  I  think  Thy  thoughts 
after  Thee  "  might  have  been  his  utterance.  The  astron- 
omers and  mathematicians  of  two  or  three  centuries  ago 
— Kepler,  Galileo,  Copernicus,  Newton,  Leibnitz — were 
men  of  strong  religious  convictions.  So  was  Linnaeus. 
So  in  recent  days  was  Clerk  Maxwell.  So  were  many  of 
Dana's  most  distinguished  scientific  co-workers,  —  Ag- 
assiz,  Henry,  Gray,  Pierce,  Torrey,  Hitchcock.  All  of 
them  may  have  been  as  deeply  religious  as  he ;  but  few 
of  them,  if  any,  have  left  on  record  so  many  expressions 
of  religious  devotion.  In  the  changing  environment  of 
life  at  sea,  as  well  as  in  the  seclusion  of  an  academic  call- 
ing, Dana  was  constantly  mindful  of  his  supreme  obliga- 
tions. Like  the  keeper  of  a  lighthouse,  he  kept  his  lamp 
trimmed  and  burning ;  like  a  gallant  knight,  he  was  loyal 
to  the  banner  that  he  bore.  This  was  more  apparent  in 
the  words  that  came  from  his  pen  than  in  those  that  fell 
from  his  lips.  A  selection  might  be  made  from  his  letters 
which  would  apparently  indicate  that  he  was  wholly  ab- 
sorbed by  his  religious  duties,  like  one  of  the  brotherhood 
in  a  consecrated  order,  a  Benedictine  or  Franciscan ;  and 
yet  one  might  live  near  him  and  meet  him  day  after  day, 
and  year  after  year,  without  ever  being  annoyed  by  words 
not  fitly  spoken,  indeed  without  ever  hearing  any  but  the 
most  simple  and  natural  allusions  to  his  Christian  faith. 
The  reserve  so  common  among  New  Englanders  was  one 
of  his  characteristics. 

If  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  during  the  last  generation- 
after  the  writings  of  Darwin  and  Huxley  were  widely  read 
— the  study  of  biology  came  to  be  regarded  by  many  re- 
ligious people  as  of  positively  dangerous  tendency,  the 
example  of  Dana  in  boldly  upholding  it  will  appear  the 
more  impressive.  He  was  never  afraid  of  the  truth,  never 

190 


SURVIVAL  OF   HOSTILITY   TO   SCIENCE 

afraid  of  inquiry,  never  afraid  to  abandon  or  to  modify 
his  previous  opinions  if  his  reason  was  convinced ;  and  he 
always  kept  his  reason  open  to  conviction,  especially  in 
the  domains  to  which  his  studies  were  directed.  All  this 
makes  him  an  interesting  study  in  religious  psychology. 
Here  is  a  "  survival  "  of  the  hostility  toward  science, 
— fortunately  so  rare  in  these  days  that  it  may  be  pre- 
served as  a  curiosity.  It  is  taken  from  a  religious  weekly 
of  long-continued  authority  and  orthodoxy,  published  in 
New  York,  July,  1897. 

"  Speaking  at  C the  other  day  on  the  '  Limitations 

of  Science/  Dr.  declared:  '  Science  is  the  slave  of 

the  lamp  to  the  Aladdin  of  materialism.  Whatever 
science  does,-it  never  touches  the  soul.  We  crave  men- 
tal hot  rolls  of  morning  papers  and  mixed  drinks  of  flashy 
news;  but  our  diet  is  one  that  makes  dreamers  rather 
than  thinkers,  dervishes  and  howling  hoodlums  rather 
than  serious  doers  of  good  deeds.  Science  puts  deadly 
instruments  into  our  hands,  but  gives  no  impulse  to  our 
hearts  to  use  rightly,  instead  of  abuse,  the  offered  ad- 
vantages.' Nothing  on  the  philosophical  side  of  mod- 
ernism, we  may  add,  is  more  necessary  than  a  humbling 
agnosticism  as  to  science  and  a  confident  trustfulness  as 
to  God  in  Christ.  When  men  clearly  perceive  the  limita- 
tions of  their  false  god  science,  they  will  be  more  apt  to 
look  with  appealing  faith  to  the  true  God  who  made  all 
the  materials  of  science  and  much  more  besides,  and  who 
alone  can  save  the  soul  while  informing  the  mind." 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  even  now,  at  the  end  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  when  a  young  man  is  proposed  as  a 
candidate  for  a  chair  of  biology  or  natural  history,  the 
question  often  comes  back, — What  are  his  views  of  the 
"  higher  criticism  "  ?  In  some  cases  young  men  thor- 
oughly qualified  by  their  knowledge,  exemplary  in  their 
lives,  and  careful  in  their  speech  have  been  rejected  be- 
cause they  were  not  ready  with  stereotyped  answers  when 
questioned  regarding  the  traditional  interpretation  of  the 
Mosaic  cosmogony. 

191 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE   "  AMERICAN  JOURNAL  OF   SCIENCE  AND   ARTS  " 

The  American  Journal  of  Science  and  Arts — Sketch  of  its  History — Its 
Work  and  Influence  in  the  Advancement  of  Science — Dana's  Editorial 
Labors. 

VARIOUS  allusions  have  already  been  made  to  the 
American  Journal  of  Science  and  Arts,  which  re- 
ceived so  large  a  part  of  the  time  of  Professor  Dana 
during  the  last  fifty  years  of  his  life,  a  service  entitled  to 
ample  recognition.  A  brief  history  based  upon  authentic 
data,  which  appeared  in  the  Yale  Alumni  Weekly  for  June 
3,  1896,  will  here  be  repeated  and  supplemented. 

This  well-known  periodical  was  established  in  1818  by 
Benjamin  Silliman,  and  it  has  continued  to  be  edited  and 
published  by  members  of  his  family  from  that  time  to  the 
present,  aided  more  or  less  by  other  scientific  experts. 
For  a  long  time  it  was  quoted  as  Silliman  s  Journal,  but 
as  Dana's  part  in  its  management  became  more  and  more 
important,  it  was  properly  spoken  of  as  the  American 
Journal.  Originally  its  scope  was  very  comprehensive, 
and  the  plan  has  never  been  formally  altered.  In  recent 
years,  other  journals  of  a  special  character  have  relieved 
its  pages  of  certain  classes  of  articles,  and  yet  it  still  re- 
mains, with  its  comprehensive  summaries  and  its  admir- 
able indexes,  the  best  repository  of  American  scientific 
papers. 

Its  maintenance  has  not  been  free  from  difficulties. 
No  pecuniary  assistance  ever  came  to  it  from  the  treasury 

192 


THE   "AMERICAN   JOURNAL   OF   SCIENCE" 

of  Yale  College,  nor  from  the  Connecticut  Academy  of 
Arts  and  Sciences.  Its  income  was  not  sufficient  for  the 
payment  of  a  publisher,  so  that  the  business  cares  de- 
volved upon  the  editorial  staff,  and  the  members  of  their 
families.  But  it  brought  the  editors  into  the  best  rela- 
tions with  the  investigators  of  the  country.  They  saw 
many  of  the  scientific  observers  who  came  here  from 
abroad;  they  kept  up  a  correspondence  with  others 
whom  they  did  not  see. 

"  Of  the  circumstances  that  led  to  its  establishment  and 
of  the  struggles  that  were  required  to  maintain  it  during 
its  early  years,  some  account  is  given  in  the  fiftieth 
volume,  which  was  issued  in  1847,  an<3  which  closed  the 
first  series.  Some  of  those  who  read  these  paragraphs 
may  be  interested  to  turn  back  to  this  volume.  In  it  also 
are  reprinted  the '  Introductory  Remarks  '  in  which,  in  the 
first  volume  (1818),  Professor  Silliman  announced  to  the 
public  his  plans  for  the  new  journal.  They  deserve  in- 
deed to  be  read  entire,  for  they  give  an  interesting 
glimpse  of  the  times,  as  of  the  personality  of  the  writer. 
He  begins  as  follows : 

'  The  age  in  which  we  live  is  not  less  distinguished 
by  a  vigorous  and  successful  cultivation  of  physical 
science  than  by  its  numerous  and  important  applications 
to  the  practical  arts  and  to  the  common  purposes  of  life. 

'  In  every  enlightened  country,  men  illustrious  for 
talent,  worth,  and  knowledge  are  ardently  engaged  in 
enlarging  the  boundaries  of  natural  science;  and  the 
history  of  their  labors  and  discoveries  is  communicated  to 
the  world  chiefly  through  the  medium  of  scientific  jour- 
nals. The  utility  of  such  journals  has  thus  become  gen- 
erally evident;  they  are  the  heralds  of v science;  they 
proclaim  its  toils  and  its  achievements ;  they  demonstrate 
its  intimate  connection  as  well  with  the  comfort  as  with 
the  intellectual  and  moral  improvement  of  our  species; 
and  they  often  procure  for  it  enviable  honors  and  sub- 
stantial rewards. ' 

'  Then,  after  enumerating  some  of  the  prominent 
scientific  journals  published  in  England  and  on  the  con- 
tinent, he  goes  on  to  say : 

'3  193 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

'  From  these  sources  our  country  reaps,  and  will  long 
continue  to  reap,  an  abundant  harvest  of  information : 
and  if  the  light  of  science,  as  well  as  of  day,  springs  from 
the  East,  we  will  welcome  the  rays  of  both ;  nor  should 
national  pride  induce  us  to  reject  so  rich  an  offering. 
'  But  can  we  do  nothing  in  return  ? 

"  '  In  a  general  diffusion  of  useful  information  through 
the  various  classes  of  society,  in  activity  of  intellect  and 
fertility  of  resource  and  invention,  producing  a  highly  in- 
telligent population,  we  have  no  reason  to  shrink  from  a 
comparison  with  any  country.  But  the  devoted  cultiva- 
tors of  science  in  the  United  States  are  comparatively 
few;  they  are,  however,  rapidly  increasing  in  number. 
Among  them  are  persons  distinguished  for  their  capacity 
and  attainments,  and,  notwithstanding  the  local  feelings 
nourished  by  our  State  sovereignties  and  the  rival  claims 
of  several  of  our  larger  cities,  there  is  evidently  a  predis- 
position towards  a  concentration  of  effort,  from  which  we 
may  hope  for  the  happiest  results,  with  regard  to  the 
advancement  of  both  the  science  and  reputation  of  our 
country. 

"  '  Is  it  not,  therefore,  desirable  to  furnish  some  rally- 
ing point,  some  object  sufficiently  interesting  to  be 
nurtured  by  common  efforts  and  thus  to  become  the 
basis  of  an  enduring  common  interest  ?  To  produce 
these  efforts,  and  to  excite  this  interest,  nothing,  perhaps, 
bids  fairer  than  a  Scientific  Journal. 

"  '  No  one,  it  is  presumed,  will  doubt  that  a  journal 
devoted  to  science,  and  embracing  a  sphere  sufficiently 
extensive  to  allure  to  its  support  the  principal  scientific 
men  of  our  country,  is  greatly  needed ;  if  cordially  sup- 
ported, it  will  be  successful,  and  if  successful,  it  will  be  a 
great  public  benefit.  .  .  . 

'  Most  of  the  periodical  works  of  our  country  have 
been  short-lived.  This,  also,  may  perish  in  its  infancy ; 
and  if  any  degree  of  confidence  is  cherished  that  it  will 
attain  a  maturer  age,  it  is  derived  from  the  obvious  and 
intrinsic  importance  of  the  undertaking;  from  its  being 
built  upon  permanent  and  momentous  national  interests; 
from  the  evidence  of  a  decided  approbation  of  the  de- 
sign, on  the  part  of  gentlemen  of  the  first  eminence, 
obtained  in  the  progress  of  an  extensive  correspondence ; 
from  assurances  of  support,  in  the  way  of  contributions, 

194 


SILLIMAN'S   REVIEW 

from  men  of  ability  in  many  sections  of  the  Union; 
and  from  the  existence  of  such  a  crisis  in  the  affairs  of 
this  country  and  of  the  world  as  appears  peculiarly  auspi- 
cious to  the  success  of  every  wise  and  good  undertaking.' 
"  After  an  interesting  discussion  of  the  claims  of  the 
different  branches  of  science  as  then  recognized,  the  in- 
troduction closes  with  the  following  paragraph : 

'  In  a  word,  the  whole  circle  of  physical  science  is 
directly  applicable  to  human  wants  and  constantly  holds 
out  a  light  to  the  practical  arts;  it  thus  polishes  and 
benefits  society  and  everywhere  demonstrates  both  su- 
preme intelligence  and  harmony  and  beneficence  of  design 
in  the  Creator.' 

"  In  reviewing  the  work  accomplished  at  the  close  of 
more  than  thirty  years  of  editorial  labor,  the  editor  writes 
with  a  modest  self-congratulation,  not  unnatural.  He 
says,  referring  to  the  introduction  which  has  been  quoted  : 
'  Such  was  the  pledge  which,  on  entering  upon  our 
editorial  labors  in  1818,  we  gave  to  the  public,  and  such 
were  the  views  which  we  then  entertained  regarding 
science  and  the  arts  as  connected  with  the  interests  and 
honor  of  our  country  and  of  mankind.  In  the  retrospect, 
we  realize  a  sober  but  grateful  feeling  of  satisfaction  in 
having,  to  the  extent  of  our  power,  discharged  these  self- 
imposed  obligations;  this  feeling  is  chastened  also  by  a 
deep  sense  of  gratitude,  first,  to  God  for  life  and  power 
continued  for  so  high  a  purpose;  and  next,  to  our  noble 
band  of  contributors,  whose  labors  are  recorded  in  half  a 
century  of  volumes,  and  in  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury of  years.  We  need  not  conceal  our  conviction,  that 
the  views  expressed  in  these  "  Introductory  Remarks" 
have  been  fully  sustained  by  our  fellow-laborers.  .  .  . 
If  a  retrospective  survey  of  the  labors  of  thirty  years  on 
this  occasion  has  rekindled  a  degree  of  enthusiasm,  it  is  a 
natural  result  of  an  examination  of  all  our  volumes,  from 
the  contents  of  which  we  have  endeavored  to  make  out  a 
summary  both  of  the  laborers  and  their  works.  .  .  . 

'  The  series  of  volumes  must  ever  form  a  work  of 
permanent  interest  on  account  of  its  exhibiting  the  pro- 
gress of  American  science  during  the  long  period  which 
it  covers.  Comparing  1817  with  1847,  we  mark  on  this 
subject  a  very  gratifying  change.  The  cultivators  of 

195 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

science  in  the  United  States  were  then  few — now  they 
are  numerous.  Societies  and  associations  of  various 
names,  for  the  cultivation  of  natural  history,  have  been 
instituted  in  very  many  of  our  cities  and  towns,  and 
several  of  them  have  been  active  and  efficient  in  making 
original  observations  and  forming  collections. 

'  While  with  our  co-workers  in  many  parts  of  our 
broad  land  we  rejoice  in  this  auspicious  change,  we  are 
far  from  arrogating  it  to  ourselves.  Multiplied  labors  of 
many  hands  have  produced  the  great  results.  In  the 
place  which  we  have  occupied  we  have  persevered  in  spite 
of  all  discouragements,  and  may,  with  our  numerous  co- 
adjutors, claim  some  share  in  the  honors  of  the  day.  We 
do  not  say  that  our  work  might  not  have  been  better 
done — but  we  may  declare  with  truth  that  we  have  done 
all  in  our  power,  and  it  is  something  to  have  excited 
many  others  to  effort  and  to  have  chronicled  their  deeds 
in  our  annals.  Let  those  that  follow  us  labor  with  like 
zeal  and  perseverance,  and  the  good  cause  will  continue 
to  advance  and  prosper.  It  is  the  cause  of  truth — science 
is  only  embodied  and  sympathized  truth,  and  in  the 
beautiful  conception  of  our  noble  Agassiz — "  it  tells  the 
thought  of  God." 

"  It  can  be  readily  understood  that  to  maintain  a 
scientific  journal  in  this  country  in  the  early  part  of  the 
century  was  not  an  easy  task,  notwithstanding  the  gener- 
ous support  which  the  editor  received  from  his  personal 
friends  and  from  other  workers  in  science  in  the  country. 
Nothing  but  the  determination  and  energy  of  the  founder 
and  editor  of  the  journal  could  have  enabled  it  to  survive. 
The  enterprise  proved  at  first  to  be  pecuniarily  unprofit- 
able, and  the  endeavor,  continued  through  the  first  ten 
years,  to  find  a  publisher  willing  to  carry  it  on,  was  finally 
abandoned,  and  the  editor  after  1827  became  responsible 
alone.  As  time  went  on  the  difficulties  diminished  some- 
what, and  after  the  first  fifteen  years  it  was  self-support- 
ing, though  its  means  were  always  small. 

'  Through  the  greater  part  of  the  first  series  of  fifty 
volumes,  the  editorial  labors  as  well  as  the  business  part 
of  the  work  was  carried  on  by  Professor  Silliman  alone. 
In  1838,  however,  his  son,  Benjamin  Silliman,  Jr.,  later 

196 


EDITORIAL   COLLEAGUES 

Professor  of  Chemistry  in  the  college,  was  associated 
with  him,  and  with  the  beginning  of  the  second  series, 
James  D.  Dana,  his  son-in-law,  and  soon  to  be  made 
Professor  of  Geology  and  Mineralogy,  became  also  one 
of  the  editors-in-chief.  These  two  gentlemen  then  carried 
on  the  work  together,  the  senior  editor  having  retired,  but 
later  most  of  the  editorial  labor  devolved  upon  Professor 
Dana,  and  this  remained  true  until  the  later  years  of  his 
life.  Then  these  duties  were  assumed  by  his  son,  Edward 
S.  Dana,  whose  name  appeared  among  the  editors-in-chief 
in  1875. 

"  Soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  second  series,  in 
1851,  Dr.  Wolcott  Gibbs  became  an  associate  editor  in 
the  departments  of  chemistry  and  physics;  in  1853,  Dr. 
Asa  Gray,  and  in  the  following  year  Professor  Louis  Agas- 
siz  were  added  in  the  same  capacity;  about  ten  years 
later  Professors  Brush,  Johnson,  and  Newton,  of  New 
Haven,  became  also  similarly  associated  with  the  work  of 
the  Journal.  Since  this  time  the  corps  of  the  associated 
editors,  changing  and  enlarging  with  the  years,  have 
taken  an  essential  part  in  the  conduct  of  the  Journal,  and 
much  of  what  it  has  accomplished  has  been  due  to  their 
labors.  As  an  illustration  of  this,  the  long  series  of 
reviews  and  abstracts  of  botanical  papers  furnished  by  Dr. 
Gray  may  be  pointed  to ;  these  are  recognized  as  an  im- 
portant and  most  attractive  part  of  the  scientific  work  of 
a  naturalist. 

'  To-day,  in  1896,  the  associate  editors  are  eleven  in 
number,  including  Professors  Newton,  Marsh,  Verrill, 
and  Williams,  of  New  Haven ;  Professors  Goodale,  Trow- 
bridge,  Bowditch,  and  Farlow,  of  Cambridge,  with  Pro- 
fessor Barker,  of  Philadelphia,  Professor  Rowland,  of 
Baltimore,  and  Mr.  J.  S.  Diller,  of  the  United  States 
Geological  Survey  in  Washington.  The  Journal,  while 
in  a  sense  a  local  institution,  has  thus  had  the  cordial 
support  of  the  workers  elsewhere,  especially  at  Harvard 
University.  Though  its  home  is  in  New  Haven,  it  has 
always  held  a  national  position,  its  sphere  extending  out 
over  the  entire  country. 

"  It^has  been  stated  that  the  first  series  included  fifty 
volumes.  Two  were  issued  annually  and  each  consisted 
of  two  numbers.  With  the  second  series,  which  com- 
menced in  1846,  the  Journal  ceased  to  be  quarterly,  the 

197 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

numbers  being  now  issued  every  other  month.  With 
the  third  series,  begun  in  1871,  it  became  a  monthly. 
The  fourth  series  began  in  January,  1896,  with  Volume 
151  of  the  entire  series. 

"  The  scope  of  the  Journal  has  been  narrowed  some- 
what as  the  time  has  gone  on.  In  its  early  years  the  ap- 
plications of  science  to  the  arts  were  largely  represented 
in  the  subjects  discussed  in  the  papers ;  later  these  took 
a  less  prominent  place  and  gradually  the  sphere  was  re- 
stricted to  pure  science  alone.  In  1880  this  change  was 
recognized  by  the  omission  of  the  words  '  and  Arts  '  from 
the  title. 

'  What  the  Journal  has  done  for  science  during  its 
long  life  of  nearly  fourscore  years,  and  to  what  extent  it 
has  succeeded  in  placing  before  the  scientific  public  the 
results  of  the  best  work  in  science  in  this  country,  can  be 
most  adequately  estimated  by  referring  to  the  150 
volumes  bearing  the  name,  on  the  shelves  of  the  Univer- 
sity Library.  With  the  increase  of  the  number  of  scien- 
tific workers  and  the  development  of  other  centres  of 
intellectual  activity,  there  has  been  naturally  a  tendency 
to  start  other  scientific  journals,  for  the  most  part  in 
special  lines,  which  now  share  with  the  A  merican  Journal 
the  privilege  of  publishing  the  results  of  American  scien- 
tific work.  This  has  not,  however,  served  to  rob  the 
older  periodical  of  the  pre-eminent  position  it  has  so  long 
occupied.  What  the  Journal  has  done  and  is  doing  for 
the  reputation  and  best  interests  of  Yale  may  be  readily 
inferred  without  being  specially  enlarged  upon.  One  re- 
sult of  its  activity  may  be  alluded  to,  that  might  otherwise 
be  overlooked,  namely  the  part  it  has  played  in  helping 
on  the  development  of  the  Yale  Library. 

"  Allusion  has  been  made  to  the  difficulties  early  found 
in  gaining  for  the  Journal  adequate  pecuniary  support, 
and  to  the  fact  that  these  difficulties  gradually  disap- 
peared as  its  age  and  reputation  increased.  It  is  still 
true,  however,  as  it  has  always  been,  that  though  able  to 
carry  itself,  it  needs  much  more  money  with  which  to 
meet  its  unusual  expenses  in  the  way  of  enlarging  the 
monthly  numbers,  and  for  work  in  the  best  and  most 
satisfactory  manner.  It  is  hoped  that  the  time  is  not  far 
distant  when  it  may  have  a  fund  to  furnish  a  moderate 
income  for  illustrations. 

198 


INADEQUATE  PECUNIARY  SUPPORT 

"  In  the  meantime  the  Journal  is  supported  by  its  sub- 
scription list  alone.  This  grows  too  slowly,  but  is  bound 
to  grow  more  not  only  as  the  value  of  the  Journal  is  ap- 
preciated, but  as  the  idea  is  recognized  that  its  support 
furthers  the  cause  of  science  and  of  this  University." — 
From  the  Yale  Alumni  Weekly,  June  3,  1896. 


199 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE   "  MANUAL  OF   GEOLOGY" 

The  Manual  of  Geology — Dana's  Contributions  to  this  Science — Analysis  of 
the  Manual,  by  Prof.  H.  S.  Williams — Its  Scientific  Attitude — The 
Doctrine  of  Evolution. 

DANA'S  Manual  of  Geology  first  appeared  in  1862,  and 
the  subsequent  editions  came  in  1874,  1880,  and 
1895.  This  work,  as  his  son  has  said,  is  not  simply  a 
compilation  of  facts,  but  a  development  of  the  whole  sub- 
ject with  a  breadth,  philosophy,  and  originality  of  treat- 
ment that  have  seldom  been  attempted. 

Dana  s  Preparation  for  this  Work 

'  Each  edition,"  continues  the  same  authority,  "  was 
carefully  worked  over,  and  the  last  was  completely  re- 
written from  beginning  to  end.  It  was  a  great  pleasure 
to  him  in  connection  with  this  work  to  have  the  constant 
and  ready  co-operation  of  a  number  of  the  able  young 
geologists  in  the  country,  without  whose  aid  the  volume 
could  not  have  been  so  satisfactorily  completed.  Similar 
co-operation  and  pleasant  relations  he  had  enjoyed  while 
at  work  upon  his  earlier  volumes  both  in  geology  and 
mineralogy,  but  this  is  hardly  the  place  to  speak  of  that 
in  detail.  Allusion  has  also  been  made  to  the  smaller 
works,  the  Text-book  (first  edition,  1864),  and  the  Geo- 
logical Story  (1875);  of  the  last  the  manuscript  of  a  new 
edition  is  now  [1895]  in  the  printers'  hands. 

In  the  general  department  of  geology  his  contribu- 
tions again  were  largely  to  subjects  of  a  broad  and  philo- 
sophical character;  the  origin  of  continents  and  of  the 

200 


"MANUAL   OF   GEOLOGY" 

grand  features  of  the  earth  was  discussed  in  early  papers 
as  well  as  later;  the  problems  of  mountain-making  and 
the  phenomena  of  volcanic  action,  to  which  he  devoted 
much  thought,  are  some  of  the  other  topics  treated  at 
length. 

"  But,  as  a  geologist,  he  was  not  only  a  thinker  and 
writer  in  his  study,  but  also  an  active  observer  in  the 
field.  This  remark  applies  obviously  to  the  four  years 
with  the  Exploring  Expedition,  but  further  particularly 
to  the  period  from  1872  to  1887,  when  he  was  carrying  on 
the  study  of  the  crystalline  rocks  of  the  so-called  Taconic 
system,  chiefly  in  western  New  England;  also  of  the 
glacial  phenomena  of  southern  New  England  (1870  et 
seq.).  The  region  included  in  western  Connecticut  and 
Massachusetts,  and  extending  westward  into  New  York 
and  north  to  Vermont,  was  tramped  and  driven  over 
many  times,  until  one  might  almost  say  that  there  was 
hardly  an  outcrop  accessible  to  any  of  the  roads  in  this 
difficult  region  that  had  not  been  visited,  its  rocks 
examined,  and  observations  recorded  on  the  dip  and 
strike.  These  results  and  the  conclusions  derived  from 
them  fill  many  pages  of  this  Journal.  Against  the  dictum 
that  all  crystalline  rocks,  not  volcanic,  must  be  of  pre- 
Paleozoic  age,  he  rebelled  strongly,  as  against  all  similar 
dogmatic  treatment  of  scientific  facts  and  principles.  His 
strength  of  feeling  on  this  point  was  what  largely  prompted 
him  to  spend  so  much  time  and  strength  in  this  investiga- 
tion. 

"  He  was  no  less  interested  in  the  country  immediately 
about  New  Haven,  especially  as  regards  its  glacial  phe- 
nomena. In  1870,  he  published  a  large  memoir  on  the 
geology  of  the  New  Haven  region.  The  observations, 
recorded  in  this  paper,  were  made  at  a  time  when  work  at 
his  table  was  impossible  and  the  open-air  exercise  brought 
profit  to  health  as  well  as  scientific  results.  Twenty  years 
later,  when  again  incapacitated  from  writing  and  close 
thinking,  he  issued  a  small  volume  entitled  The  Four 
Rocks  of  the  New  Haven  Region,  describing  some  of  the 
chief  features  of  the  region  in  popular  form."  * 

*  From  the  memorial  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science,  by  E.  S.  Dana. 


2O I 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

ANALYSIS   OF  THE   "  MANUAL"    BY   PROFESSOR 
H.    S.    WILLIAMS 

A  fuller  analysis  of  the  Manual  of  Geology  was  prepared 
by  Prof.  H.  S.  Williams,  the  present  incumbent  of  the 
Silliman  Professorship  of  Geology  in  Yale  University, 
and  a  part  of  his  analysis  will  here  be  quoted.  The 
entire  paper  may  be  found  in  the  Journal  of  Geology, 
Chicago,  1895,  vol.  iii.,  p.  6. 

"  Geology  is  a  much  more  complex  and  miscellaneous 
science  than  either  mineralogy  or  zoology,  and  therefore 
it  is  difficult  to  so  arrange  the  facts  as  to  exhibit  their  re- 
lation to  any  single  common  principle.  But  we  believe 
Dana's  Manual  has  come  nearer  to  the  setting  forth  of 
such  an  ideal  system  of  geology  than  has  been  elsewhere 
attained.  The  central  ideas  in  this  system  are :  (a)  the 
earth  a  cooling  globe ;  (b)  contracting  as  it  cools ;  (c)  differ- 
ences of  depression  and  elevation  of  the  surface  the  direct 
result  of  the  unequal  contracting;  (d)  oceans  and  con- 
tinents permanent;  (e)  trends  of  shores,  of  islands  and 
mountains,  according  to  system,  and  expressive  of  lines 
of  weakness,  and  of  chief  foldings  and  fractures;  (/) 
epeirogenic  and  orogenic  phenomena  the  direct  results  of 
the  contracting;  (g)  climates  and  currents  of  the  ocean 
also  the  effects  of  changes  in  elevation  of  the  continents ; 
(ti)  the  separation  of  the  history  of  the  earth  into  ages  by 
the  revolutions  at  the  climaxes  in  the  contraction,  when 
strain  and  tension  came  to  exceed  strength  and  resistance, 
and  resulted  in  folding  and  faulting  and  local  disturbances, 
and  were  marked  by  the  greater  or  less  extermination  of 
life,  followed  by  repeopling  by,  and  the  modification  of 
the  successors ;  (i)  the  surface  shaping  of  the  continents 
by  ice  and  water  action  also  influenced  by  oscillation  of 
level  of  the  continents ;  and  all  of  these  various  factors 
taking  a  part  in  producing  the  present  complex  condition 
of  the  earth's  surface. 

4  The  earth  as  a  whole  was  the  unit  which  was  before 
his  mind  as  he  constructed  this  system  of  geology.  As 
he  traced  its  history  he  saw  in  the  successive  events  of 
geology  the  marks  of  the  gradual  development  of  a 
vaporous,  then  incandescent,  and  finally  hardened,  con- 

202 


"MANUAL   OF   GEOLOGY" 

tracting,  cooling  globe.  Others  had  spoken  of  geology 
as  a  history;  but  he  appears  to  have  been  the  first  to 
write  a  manual  of  geology  in  English  based  on  this  idea. 
'  In  history,'  he  commented, '  the  phases  of  every  age  are 
deeply  rooted  in  the  preceding,  and  intimately  dependent 
on  the  whole  past.  There  is  a  literal  unfolding  of  events 
as  time  moves  on,  and  this  is  eminently  true  of  geology/ 
Hence  he  began  his  geology  with  the  beginnings,  and 
followed  the  course  of  the  history  of  the  earth  onward. 

"  Again,  to  Dana  the  means  of  measuring  the  sequence 
of  events  was  the  succession  of  fossils.  '  Geology  is  not 
simply  the  science  of  rocks,  for  rocks  are  but  incidents  in 
the  earth's  history,  and  may  or  may  not  have  been  the 
same  in  distant  places.  It  has  its  more  exalted  end, — 
even  the  study  of  the  progress  of  life  from  its  earliest 
dawn  to  the  appearance  of  man ;  and  instead  of  saying 
that  fossils  are  of  use  to  determine  rocks,  we  should 
rather  say  that  the  rocks  are  of  use  for  the  display  of  the 
succession  of  fossils.  Both  statements  are  correct;  but 
the  latter  is  the  fundamental  truth  in  the  science.'  It 
was  this  idea  which  dominated  in  his  classification  of 
geological  formations. 

"  American  geologists  are  all  aware  that  it  is  from  the 
use  of  Dana's  system  that  the  habit  of  speaking  of  geo- 
logical Periods  and  Epochs  has  been  acquired.  Other 
manuals  speak  of  formations,  systems,  and  stages,  of 
series  and  groups ;  rocks  being  classified  as  if  they  were 
distinguished  by  some  qualities  of  their  own.  It  is  from 
Dana  that  we  have  learned  to  classify  geological  forma- 
tions in  relation  to  the  stages  of  progress  in  the  building 
of  the  continents  and  its  local  structural  features,  and  to 
regard  rocks  as  not  simply  aggregates  of  mineral  matter, 
but  as  geological  formations  bearing  a  definite  relation- 
ship to  the  progress  in  the  history  of  the  earth,  and  hence 
as  belonging  to,  and  to  be  defined  as  of  a  particular  period 
or  epoch.  In  the  first  edition  of  his  Manual,  in  1862,  the 
author  wrote : 

'  It  has  been  the  author's  aim  to  present  for  study,  not 
a  series  of  rocks  with  their  dead  fossils,  but  the  successive 
phases  in  the  history  of  the  earth, — its  continents,  seas, 
climates,  life,  and  the  various  operations  of  progress.'  * 

*  Manual  of  Geology :  treating  of  the  principles  of  the  science  with  spe- 

203 


LIFE    OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 
Development  of  the  Earth 

"  The  grand  outlines  of  Dana's  system  of  the  earth's 
development  are  given  in  a  few  sentences  in  his  article 
'  On  the  Plan  of  Development  in  the  Geological  History 
of  North  America,'  first  published  in  the  American  Jour- 
nal of  Science  in  1856.* 

'  What,  then,  is  the  principle,'  he  wrote, '  of  develop- 
ment through  which  these  grand  results  in  the  earth's 
structure  and  features  have  been  brought  about  ?  We 
detect  a  plan  of  progress  in  the  developing  germ ;  we 
trace  out  the  spot  which  is  first  defined,  and  thence  follow 
the  evolution  in  different  lines  to  the  completed  result: 
may  we  similarly  search  out  the  philosophy  of  the  earth's 
progress  ?  The  organizing  agencies  in  the  sphere  are: 
(i)  Chemical  combination  and  crystallization.  (2)  Heat, 
in  vaporization,  fusion,  and  expansion,  with  the  correlate 
force  of  contraction  which  has  been  in  increasing  action 
from  the  time  the  globe  began  to  be  a  cooling  globe. 

(3)  The  external  physical  agencies,  pre-eminently  water 
and  the  atmosphere,  chiselling  and  moulding  the  surface. 

(4)  The  superadded  agency  of  life.     Of  these  causes,  the 
first  is  the  molecular  power  by  which  the  material  of  the 
crust  has  been  prepared.     The  third  and  fourth  have  only 
worked  over  the  exposed  surface.     But  the  second,  while 
molecular  in  origin,  is  mechanical  in  action,  and  in  the 
way  of  contraction,  especially,  it  has  engaged  the  univer- 
sal sphere,  causing  a  shrinkage  of  its  vast  sides,  a  heaving 
and  sinking  in  world-wide  movements.     Its  action,  there- 
fore, has  been  coextensive  with  the  earth's  surface  through 
the  earth's  history  '  (loc.  cit.,  p.  340).     On  a  later  page  a 
footnote  again  refers  to  this  same  dominant  idea:  '  I  have 
alluded  on  a  former  page  to  an  analogy  between  the  pro- 
gress of  the  earth  and  that  of  a  germ.     In  this  there  is 
nothing  fanciful ;   for  there  is  a  general  law,  as  is  now 
known,  at  the  basis  of  all  development  which  is  strikingly 
exhibited  even  in  the  earth's  physical  progress.     The  law, 

cial  reference  to  American  Geological  History,  for  the  use  of  colleges, 
academies,  and  schools  of  science,  by  James  D.  Dana,  pp.  xvi.-ygS,  illus- 
trated by  a  chart  of  the  world,  and  over  one  thousand  figures,  mostly  from 
American  sources.  Philadelphia  and  London,  1862. 

*  American  Journal  of  Science,  Series  II.,  vol.  xxii.,  p.  339. 

204 


"MANUAL   OF   GEOLOGY" 

as  it  has  been  recognized,  is  simply  this :  Unity  evolving 
multiplicity  of  parts  through  successive  individualizations 
proceeding  from  the  more  fundamental  onward  '  (p.  346). 

"  Notwithstanding  all  the  additions  of  details  and 
statistics  in  illustration  and  elaboration  of  this  idea,  we 
see,  up  to  the  last,  this  is  the  dominating  principle  about 
which  his  system  of  geology  was  built ;  and  the  American 
continent,  as  its  geological  features  were  gradually  opened 
to  light,  was  recognized  as  the  most  typical  illustration  of 
this  system  to  be  found  upon  the  globe.  In  the  last 
edition  of  the  Manual  we  find  these  words:  '  North 
American  geology  is  still  its  chief  subject.  .  .  .  The 
idea  long  before  recognized  (i.  e.,  before  1855)  that  all 
observations  on  the  rocks,  however  local,  bore  directly  on 
the  stages  in  the  growth  of  the  continent,  derives  univer- 
sal importance  from  the  recognition  of  North  America  as 
the  world's  type-continent — the  only  continent  that  gives, 
in  a  full  and  simple  way,  the  fundamental  principles  of 
continental  development.' 

"  He  was  not,  however,  carried  away  by  theories;  his 
scientific  research  was  always  deep,  thorough,  and  exact. 
As  he  was  preparing  the  report  on  the  geology  of  the 
Exploring  Expedition  he  was  not  satisfied  with  simply 
describing  what  he  saw.  He  not  only  made  a  thorough 
study  of  the  volcanoes  in  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  and 
on  the  borders  of  the  South  American  continent,  and 
Vesuvius  and  ^Etna  in  Italy  [his  first  scientific  paper,  as 
before  noticed,  was  a  letter  written  from  the  U.  S.  ship 
United  States,  in  1834,  "  On  the  Condition  of  Vesuvius  in 
July,  1834  "],  but  in  his  investigations  of  the  many  ques- 
tions raised  by  these  observations  he  also  studied  the  sur- 
face of  the  moon, — and  comparison  of  the  already  cooled 
moon  and  its  extinct  craters  with  the  present  condition 
of  the  earth  suggested  the  chief  phenomena  about  which 
was  later  elaborated  his  theory  of  the  earth's  develop- 
ment as  a  cooling  and  necessarily  contracting  globe. 

The  general  contraction  theory  was  not  original  with 
Dana,  as  he  acknowledged  in  these  papers.  He  found  it 
advocated  by  Leibnitz  in  1691.  Babbage  and  De  la 
Beche  had  formulated  the  general  theory  of  changes  of 
level  by  contraction  and  expansion  and  the  rise  of  con- 
tinents. Mather,  Elie  de  Beaumont,  Lyell,  and  others 
had  made  more  or  less  reference  to  the  principle,  and  M. 

205 


LIFE  OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

Constant  Provost  had  published  in  1860  his  view  that  the 
agency  of  contraction  alone  will  account  for  the  various 
changes  of  level  which  the  continental  areas  have  under- 
gone. There  were,  however,  certain  features  which  were 
his  own,  as  shown  in  the  following  passage: 

'  The  reader  will  perceive  that  although  the  main 
principles  of  Provost  are  sustained  by  the  writer  in  this 
and  his  former  paper,  the  manner  in  which  these  prin- 
ciples are  carried  out,  is  in  some  respects  a  little  different, 
especially  in  the  idea  that  the  oceanic  areas  have  been 
the  more  igneous  parts  of  the  globe,  and  for  this  reason 
have  contracted  most;  that  certain  orographic  changes 
over  the  continents  are  due  to  contraction  beneath  the 
oceanic  regions,  and  that  the  fissurings  and  mountain 
elevations  have  for  this  reason  taken  place  in  some  in- 
stances near  the  margin  of  a  continent,  or  near  the  limit 
between  the  great  contracting  and  non-contracting  (com- 
paratively non-contracting)  areas.  The  efficiency  of  the 
cause  of  contraction  has  appeared  to  the  writer  to  be 
wider  and  more  evident,  as  the  subject  has  received  closer 
attention;  and  the  study  of  it  very  naturally  led  to 
modification  of  former  views.'  * 

'  Thus,  it  will  be  seen  that,  although  others  had  before 
conceived  of  the  idea  of  the  general  effects  of  contraction, 
it  was  to  Dana  the  working  hypothesis  in  the  construction 
of  a  system  of  geology. 

"  Although  later  investigations  have  added  new  light 
for  the  interpretation  of  the  details  of  mountain  building 
and  earth  shaping,  a  reference  to  the  chief  points  of  the 
theory,  as  elaborated  by  Dana  in  1847,  w^l  show  how 
much  we  are  indebted  to  him  for  a  clear  exposition  of  the 
general  principles  of  the  science.  .  .  . 

'  While  Dana  was  a  consistent  uniformitarian,  in  so  far 
as  to  interpret  past  phenomena  of  the  earth's  history  by 
the  operations  of  forces  such  as  are  now  in  action,  he 
clearly  saw  the  natural  relations  of  periods  of  special  dis- 
turbance of  the  strata  by  the  reaching  of  high  degrees  of 
tension  and  their  expression  in  elevation  and  fractures 
along  lines  of  tension,  and  the  more  quiet  periods  of  chief 
sedimentation.  This  principle  is  better  elaborated  in  the 
latest  edition  of  the  Manual  than  in  previous  works,  on 

*  American  Journal  of  Science,  Series  II.,  vol.  iii.,  p.  179,  1847, 

2O6 


"MANUAL   OF   GEOLOGY" 

account  of  the  fuller  knowledge  of  the  facts  finally  at- 
tained. In  the  development  of  the  American  continent 
there  are  recognized,  not  only  long  periods  of  sedimenta- 
tion and  accumulation  of  strata  in  synclinoria,  but  separat- 
ing these  periods  of  quiet  there  were  revolutions  resulting 
in  each  case  in  lifting  greater  or  smaller  areas  permanently 
above  the  surface  of  the  ocean,  and  the  later  of  these 
revolutions  were  the  grander,  in  amount  of  elevations  and 
mountain  making,  in  fracturing  and  lava  outflows,  and  in 
production  of  volcanoes,  because,  as  his  theory  explains, 
of  the  greater  thickness  and  rigidity  of  the  crustal  portion 
of  the  earth  incident  to  the  secular  cooling  of  the  globe. 
"  Not  only  did  Dana  take  this  broad  and  comprehen- 
sive view  of  the  whole  system  of  geological  phenomena, 
but  he  made  a  thorough  and  particular  study  of  several  of 
the  more  difficult  problems  of  American  geology;  among 
them  may  be  named  the  interpretation  of  the  glacial 
phenomena  over  New  England  and  the  classification  of 
the  period  for  North  America,  the  solution  of  the 
'  Taconic  '  controversy,  and  the  associated  questions  of 
metamorphism  and  mountain  building." 


207 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE   STUDY   OF  CORALS 

Prolonged  Studies  of  Zoophytes  and  Coral  Islands — Extracts  from  the  Vol, 
ume  on  Corals — Darwin's  Coral  Reef  s — Erroneous  Notions  of  the  Coral 
World — Montgomery's  Pelican  Island — Origin  of  Coral  Sands  and 
Reef  Rock — Life  of  Primitive  People — Changes  of  Level  in  the  Ocean 
Bed — One  of  Dana's  Lectures. 

THE  growth  of  coral  reefs  and  islands  and  the  life  of 
the  zoophytes  were  among  the  subjects  which 
always  had  a  special  fascination  for  Professor  Dana.  He 
frequently  recurred  to  them  in  his  leisure  hours  as  well 
as  in  his  serious  work.  If  the  scientific  reader  desires  to 
know  the  conclusions  which  this  naturalist  reached,  he 
will,  of  course,  acquaint  himself  with  the  great  memoirs 
of  the  Exploring  Expedition  (on  Geology  and  on  Zoophytes, 
already  referred  to),  and  with  numerous  papers  that  are 
printed  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science  and  Arts. 
But  the  general  reader  may  enter  this  attractive  field 
through  a  more  accessible  doorway,  and  he  may  find  his 
excursion  enlightened  by  diagrams,  maps,  and  engrav- 
ings, and  by  many  glowing  passages  of  enthusiastic  de- 
scription. The  doorway  referred  to  is  an  octavo  volume 
on  Corals  and  Coral  Islands,  first  printed  in  1872,  revised 
in  1874,  ajid  carried  to  a  third  edition  in  1890.  It  is  to 
this  latest  revision  that  reference  should  be  made.*  Visits 
to  the  fine  collections  which  may  be  seen  in  the  Peabody 

*  Corals  and  Coral  Islands,  by  James  D.  Dana.     Third  edition.     New 
York :  Dodd  &  Mead,  1890,  8vo. 

208 


DANA   AND   DARWIN 

Museum  of  Yale  University,  and  in  other  great  museums 
of  natural  history,  may  quicken  the  desire  to  hear  the 
words  of  a  wise  interpreter. 

Dana  and  Darwin 

The  relations  of  Dana's  researches  to  Darwin's  are  thus 
indicated : 

"  Our  cruise  led  us  partly  along  the  course  followed  by 
Mr.  Charles  Darwin  during  the  years  1831  to  1836,  in  the 
voyage  of  the  Beagle,  under  Captain  Fitzroy ;  and,  where 
it  diverged  from  his  route,  it  took  us  over  scenes,  similar 
to  his,  of  coral  and  volcanic  islands.  Soon  after  reaching 
Sydney,  Australia,  in  1839,  a  brief  statement  of  Mr.  Dar- 
win's theory  with  respect  to  the  origin  of  the  atoll  and 
barrier  forms  of  reefs  was  found  in  the  papers.  The  para- 
graph threw  a  flood  of  light  over  the  subject,  and  called 
forth  feelings  of  peculiar  satisfaction,  and  of  gratefulness 
to  Mr.  Darwin,  which  still  come  up  afresh  whenever  the 
subject  of  coral  islands  is  mentioned.  The  Gambier 
Islands,  in  the  Paumotus,  which  gave  him  the  key  to  the 
theory,  I  had  not  seen ;  but  on  reaching  the  Feejees,  six 
months  later,  in  1840,  I  found  there  similar  facts  on  a  still 
grander  scale  and  of  more  diversified  character,  so  that  I 
was  afterward  enabled  to  speak  of  his  theory  as  established 
with  more  positiveness  than  he  himself,  in  his  philosophic 
caution,  had  been  ready  to  adopt.  His  work  on  Coral 
Reefs  appeared  in  1842,  when  my  report  on  the  subject 
was  already  in  manuscript.  It  showed  that  the  conclu- 
sions on  other  points,  which  we  had  independently 
reached,  were  for  the  most  part  the  same.  The  principal 
points  of  difference  relate  to  the  reason  for  the  absence 
of  corals  from  some  coasts,  and  the  evidence  therefrom  as 
to  changes  of  level,  and  the  distribution  of  the  oceanic 
regions  of  elevation  and  subsidence — topics  which  a  wide 
range  of  travel  over  the  Pacific  brought  directly  and  con- 
stantly to  my  attention." 

Darwin's  gratified  reception  of  Dana's  Geology  of  the 
Expedition  is  thus  mentioned  in  his  memoirs,  under  the 
date  of  December  4,  1849: 
X4  209 


LIFE    OF   JAMES    DWIGHT    DANA 

"  Dana  has  sent  me  the  Geology  of  the  United  States 
Expedition,  and  I  have  just  read  the  Coral  part.  To 
begin  with  a  modest  speech,  I  am  astonished  by  my  own 
accuracy!  If  I  were  to  rewrite  now  my  Coral  book, 
there  is  hardly  a  sentence  I  should  have  to  alter,  except 
that  I  ought  to  have  attributed  more  effect  to  recent  vol- 
canic action  in  checking  growth  of  coral.  When  I  say  all 
this,  I  ought  to  add  the  consequences  of  the  theory  on 
areas  of  subsidence  are  treated  in  a  separate  chapter  to 
which  I  have  not  come,  and  in  this,  I  suspect,  we  shall 
differ  more.  Dana  talks  of  agreeing  with  my  theory  in 
most  points ;  I  can  find  out  not  one  in  which  he  differs. 
Considering  how  infinitely  more  he  saw  of  coral  reefs  than 
I  did,  this  is  wonderfully  satisfactory  to  me.  He  treats 
me  most  courteously.  There  now,  my  vanity  is  pretty 
well  satisfied." 

Popular  Errors  Corrected 

The  erroneous  notions  of  the  coral  world,  widely  prev- 
alent even  among  educated  people,  are  thus  referred  to 
by  Dana: 

"  A  singular  degree  of  obscurity  has  possessed  the 
popular  mind  with  regard  to  the  growth  of  corals  and 
coral  reefs,  in  consequence  of  the  readiness  with  which 
speculations  have  been  supplied  and  accepted  in  place  of 
facts;  and  to  the  present  day  the  subject  is  seldom  men- 
tioned without  the  qualifying  adjective  mysterious  ex- 
pressed or  understood.  Some  writers,  rejecting  the  idea 
which  science  had  reached,  that  reefs  or  rocks  could  be 
due  in  any  way  to  '  animalcules/  have  talked  of  electrical 
forces,  the  first  and  last  appeal  of  ignorance.  One  author, 
not  many  years  since,  made  the  fishes  of  the  sea  the 
masons,  and  in  his  natural  wisdom  supposed  that  they 
worked  with  their  teeth  in  building  up  the  great  reef. 
Many  of  those  who  have  discoursed  most  poetically  on 
zoophytes  have  imagined  that  the  polyps  were  mechani- 
cal workers,  heaping  up  the  piles  of  coral  rock  by  their 
united  labors;  and  science  is  hardly  yet  rid  of  such  terms 
as  polypary,  polypidom,  which  imply  that  each  coral  is 
the  constructed  hive  or  house  of  a  swarm  of  polyps,  like 
the  honeycomb  of  the  bee,  orthe  hillock  of  a  colony  of  ants. 

"  Science,  while   it   penetrates  deeply  the  system  of 

210 


a  8 


POPULAR   ERRORS   CORRECTED 

things  about  us,  sees  everywhere,  in  the  dim  limits  of 
vision,  the  word  mystery.  Surely  there  is  no  reason  why 
the  simplest  of  organisms  should  bear  the  impress  most 
strongly.  If  we  are  astonished  that  so  great  deeds  should 
proceed  from  the  little  and  low,  it  is  because  we  fail  to 
appreciate  that  little  things,  even  the  least  of  living  or 
physical  existences  in  nature,  are,  under  God,  expressions 
throughout  of  comprehensive  laws,  laws  that  govern  alike 
the  small  and  the  great. 

"  It  is  not  more  surprising,  nor  a  matter  of  more  diffi- 
cult comprehension,  that  a  polyp  should  form  structures 
of  stone  (carbonate  of  lime)  called  coral,  than  that  the 
quadruped  should  form  its  bones,  or  the  mollusk  its  shell. 
The  processes  are  similar,  and  so  the  result.  In  each 
case  it  is  a  simple  animal  secretion ;  a  secretion  of  stony 
matter  from  the  aliment  which  the  animal  receives,  pro- 
duced by  the  parts  of  the  animal  fitted  for  this  secreting 
process ;  and  in  each,  carbonate  of  lime  is  a  constituent, 
or  one  of  the  constituents,  of  the  secretion. 

"  This  power  of  secretion  is  then  one  of  the  first  and 
most  common  of  those  that  belong  to  living  tissues;  and 
though  differing  in  different  organs  according  to  their 
end  or  function,  it  is  all  one  process,  both  in  its  nature 
and  cause,  whether  in  the  animalcule  or  man.  It  belongs 
eminently  to  the  lowest  kinds  of  life.  These  are  the  best 
stone-makers;  for  in  their  simplicity  of  structure  they 
may  be  almost  all  stone  and  still  carry  on  the  processes 
of  nutrition  and  growth.  Throughout  geological  time 
they  were  the  agents  appointed  to  produce  the  material 
of  limestones,  and  also  to  make  even  the  flint  and  many 
of  the  siliceous  deposits  of  the  earth's  formations. 

"  Coral  is  never,  therefore,  the  handiwork  of  the  many- 
armed  polyps;  for  it  is  no  more  a  result  of  labor  than 
bone-making  in  ourselves.  And  again,  it  is  not  a  collec- 
tion of  cells  into  which  the  coral  animals  may  withdraw 
for  concealment  any  more  than  the  skeleton  of  a  dog  is 
its  house  or  cell ;  for  every  part  of  the  coral — or  corallum, 
as  it  is  now  called  in  science — of  a  polyp,  in  most  reef- 
making  species,  is  enclosed  within  the  polyp,  where  it 
was  formed  by  the  secreting  process." 

In  1853  Dana  wrote  the  following  letter  to  Norton's 
Literary  Gazette  : 

211 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

FROM   PROFESSOR  DANA 

Montgomery 's  "Pelican  Island" 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  May  27,  1853. 

"  I  observe  that  in  your  last  number  you  make  honor- 
able mention  of  my  opinion  on  the  science  of  Montgom- 
ery's Pelican  Island,  and  cite  a  paragraph  from  the  poem. 
That  paragraph,  as  it  stands  on  your  page,  might  be 
taken  for  the  only  objectionable  passage,  although  but 
one  among  many,  and  far  from  the  worst.  It  contains 
two  important  errors — one  is,  its  attributing  the  formation 
of  the  coral  to  the  instinct  and  labor  of  the  coral  animal, 
as  if  a  product  analogous  to  the  honeycomb  of  the  bee, 
or  the  hill  of  the  ant ;  and  the  other  is  the  idea  that  the 
coral  polyp  lives  within  the  coral  as  its  cell ;  whereas,  in 
fact,  the  coral  is  a  secretion  within  the  polyp,  and  is 
wholly  internal,  as  much  so  as  the  skeleton  in  our  own 
bodies.  There  is  no  more  labor  or  instinct  in  the  growth 
of  a  reef  than  in  the  accumulation  of  beds  of  peat  in  a 
peat  swamp,  or  of  deposits  of  shells  along  a  coast.  The 
peat  and  the  mollusk  in  this  respect  merit  as  pretty  a 
verse  as  the  coral  polyp.  The  errors  are  old  errors,  and 
have  pervaded  science  as  well  as  popular  belief,  and  as 
truth  is  the  end  of  science,  if  not  of  poetry,  there  is  suffi- 
cient reason  assuredly  for  excluding  such  verses  from 
scientific  works. 

"  But  never  were  the  beautiful  inhabitants  of  the  coral 
world  so  grossly  defamed,  or  nature  so  utterly  belied,  as 
by  some  of  Montgomery's  lines  which  you  have  not 
quoted.  He  seems  to  have  imagined  that  the  wonder  of 
the  result  would  appear  the  more  wonderful  and  perhaps 
poetical,  according  to  his  conceptions,  by  attributing 
the  most  unsightly  forms  and  disgusting  habits  to  the 
coral  animal.  He  says,  '  Shapeless  they  seemed,' — an 
epithet  as  true  of  the  flowers  of  our  gardens,  for  the 
coral  animals  closely  resemble  flowers  in  form  and  beauty 
of  coloring;  and  ends  a  line  thus  begun  with  '  endless 
shapes  assumed  ' ;  while  in  fact  the  variation  of  form 
that  is  observed  is  an  expanding  and  shutting  of  the 
polyp-flower,  somewhat  analogous  to  the  opening  and 
closing  of  the  petals  of  a  daisy.  He  goes  on :  '  Elon- 
gated like  worms,  they  writhed  and  shrunk  their  tortuous 

212 


MONTGOMERY'S    "PELICAN   ISLAND" 

bodies  to  grotesque  dimensions  ' ;  and  so  on,  with  much 
else  of  a  similar  character.  See  also  the  page  beyond : 

From  graves  innumerable,  punctures  fine 
In  the  close  coral,  capillary  swarms 
Of  reptiles,  horrent  as  Medusa's  snakes, 
Covered  the  bald-pate  reef. 

And  in  fact  nearly  every  idea  in  the  twenty  lines  preced- 
ing and  following  is  false,  although  mixed  with  some 
pretty  sentiments. 

"  Montgomery  must  have  studied  nature  with  little  at- 
tention not  to  have  learned  the  first  lesson,  that  beauty 
marks  every  object,  be  it  even  the  weed,  shell,  or  polyp 
of  the  deep  ocean  to  which  the  eye  may  not  penetrate. 
It  is  the  most  marvellous  feature  of  created  objects,  that 
external  beauty  of  form  and  coloring  should  have  been 
made  consistent  by  the  Author  of  Nature  with  all  the 
various  ends  to  be  accomplished.  After  living,  I  may 
say,  among  the  coral  groves  for  two  or  three  summers, 
and  deriving  a  high  enjoyment  from  the  scenes  they  pre- 
sented, I  have  felt  half  provoked  that  the  portrait  of  the 
zoophyte  should  have  been  drawn  in  so  hideous  a  style 
by  a  prominent  poet  like  Montgomery;  and  that  his 
verses  should  not  only  be  quoted  as  '  charming  '  by  the 
young  ladies,  but  should  be  received  as  good  enough 
truth  for  the  student  of  science.  It  was  natural,  there- 
fore, that  I  should  have  expressed  myself  with  some 
strength  in  the  brief  allusion  to  the  Pelican  Island.  On 
pages  47  and  beyond,  and  pages  69,  etc.,  of  the  work 
on  Coral  Islands,  and  also  at  more  length  in  my  Report  on 
Zoophytes,  you  will  find  some  of  the  facts  that  come  into 
competition  with  the  poet's  conceptions.  Facts  are 
God's  conceptions,  or  expressions  of  His  will  and  infinite 
perfections.  The  poet  may  throw  them  into  new  com- 
binations— evoke  new  beauties  and  sublimity  thereby — 
but  when  false  to  the  principles  at  the  basis  of  facts,  he  de- 
grades himself  and  his  subject.  This  sentiment  will  not 
be  esteemed  a  heresy  of  dry  science  by  the  true  poet.  I 
would  not  be  understood  as  passing  a  general  condemna- 
tion on  the  poetry  of  Montgomery ;  there  is  so  much  to 
be  admired,  that  his  errors  are  the  more  injurious  if  left 
uncorrected." 

213 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 
The  Growth  of  Coral  Reefs 

The  following  paragraphs  show  the  views  of  Professor 
Dana  in  respect  to  the  origin  of  coral  sands  and  the  reef 
rock: 

"  Very  erroneous  ideas  prevail  respecting  the  appear- 
ance of  a  bed  or  area  of  growing  corals.  The  submerged 
reef  is  often  thought  of  as  an  extended  mass  of  coral, 
alive  uniformly  over  its  upper  surface,  and  as  gradually 
enlarging  upward  through  this  living  growth ;  and  such 
preconceived  views,  when  ascertained  to  be  erroneous  by 
observation,  have  sometimes  led  to  scepticism  with  regard 
to  the  zoophytic  origin  of  the  reef  rock.  Nothing  is 
wider  from  the  truth :  and  this  must  have  been  inferred 
from  the  descriptions  already  given.  Another  glance  at 
the  coral  plantation  should  be  taken  by  the  reader  before 
proceeding  with  the  explanations  which  follow. 

"  Coral  plantation  and  coral  field  are  more  appropriate 
appellations  than  coral  garden,  and  convey  a  juster  im- 
pression of  the  surface  of  a  growing  reef.  Like  a  spot  of 
wild  land,  covered  in  some  parts,  even  over  acres,  with 
varied  shrubbery,  in  other  parts  bearing  only  occasional 
tufts  of  vegetation  in  barren  plains  of  sand,  here  a  clump 
of  saplings,  and  there  a  carpet  of  variously  colored  flowers 
in  these  barren  fields  —  such  is  the  coral  plantation. 
Numerous  kinds  of  zoophytes  grow  scattered  over  the 
surface,  like  vegetation  upon  the  land;  there  are  large 
areas  that  bear  nothing,  and  others  of  great  extent  that 
are  thickly  overgrown.  There  is,  however,  no  green- 
sward to  the  landscape ;  sand  and  fragments  fill  up  the 
bare  intervals  between  the  flowering  tufts :  or,  where 
the  zoophytes  are  crowded,  there  are  deep  holes  among 
the  stony  stems  and  folia. 

'  These  fields  of  growing  coral  spread  over  submarine 
lands,  such  as  the  shores  of  islands  and  continents,  where 
the  depth  is  not  greater  than  their  habits  require,  just  as 
vegetation  extends  itself  through  regions  that  are  con- 
genial. The  germ,  or  ovule,  which,  when  first  produced, 
is  free,  finds  afterward  a  point  of  rock,  or  dead  coral,  or 
some  support,  to  plant  itself  upon,  and  thence  springs 
the  tree  or  other  forms  of  coral  growth. 

214 


ORIGIN   OF   CORAL   REEFS 

'  The  analogy  to  vegetation  does  not  stop  here.  It  is 
well  known  that  the  debris  of  the  forest,  decaying  leaves 
and  stems,  and  animal  remains,  add  to  the  soil ;  that  in 
the  marsh  or  swamp — where  decaying  vegetation  is  mostly 
under  water,  and  sphagnous  mosses  grow  luxuriantly, 
ever  alive  and  flourishing  at  top,  while  dead  and  dying 
below — accumulations  of  such  debris  are  ceaselessly  in 
progress,  and  deep  beds  of  peat  are  formed.  Similar  is 
the  history  of  the  coral  mead.  Accumulations  of  frag- 
ments and  sand  from  the  coral  zoophytes  growing  over 
the  reef-grounds,  and  of  shells  and  other  relics  of  organic 
life,  are  constantly  making ;  and  thus  a  bed  of  coral  debris 
is  formed  and  compacted.  There  is  this  difference,  that 
a  large  part  of  the  vegetable  material  consists  of  elements 
which  escape  as  gases  on  decomposition,  so  that  there  is 
a  great  loss  in  bulk  of  the  gathered  mass ;  whereas  coral 
is  an  enduring  rock  material  undergoing  no  change  except 
the  mechanical  one  of  comminution.  The  animal  portion 
is  but  a  mere  fraction  of  the  whole  zoophyte.  The  coral 
debris  and  shells  fill  up  the  intervals  between  the  coral 
patches,  and  the  cavities  among  the  living  tufts,  and  in 
this  manner  produce  the  reef  deposit;  and  the  bed  is 
finally  consolidated,  while  still  beneath  the  water. 

'  The  coral  zoophyte  is  especially  adapted  for  such  a 
mode  of  reef-making.  Were  the  nourishment  drawn 
from  below,  as  in  most  plants,  the  solidifying  coral  rock 
would  soon  destroy  all  life :  instead  of  this,  the  zoophyte 
is  gradually  dying  below  while  growing  above ;  and  the 
accumulations  of  debris  cover  only  the  dead  portions. 

"  But  on  land  there  is  the  decay  of  the  year,  and  that 
of  old  age,  producing  vegetable  debris;  and  storms  pros- 
trate forests.  And  are  there  corresponding  effects  among 
the  groves  of  the  sea  ?  It  has  been  shown  that  coral 
plantations,  from  which  reefs  proceed,  do  not  grow  in  the 
'  calm  and  still  '  depths  of  the  ocean.  They  are  to  be 
found  amid  the  very  waves,  and  extend  but  little  below 
a  hundred  feet,  which  is  far  within  the  reach  of  the  sea's 
heavier  commotions.  To  a  considerable  extent  they 
grow  in  the  very  face  of  the  tremendous  breakers  that 
strike  and  batter  as  they  drive  over  the  reefs.  Here  is 
an  agent  which  is  not  without  its  effects.  The  enormous 
masses  of  uptorn  rock  found  on  many  of  the  islands  may 
give  some  idea  of  the  force  of  the  lifting  wave ;  and  there 

215 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

are  examples  on  record,  to  be  found  in  various  treatises 
on  geology,  of  still  more  surprising  effects. 

"  The  progress  of  the  coral  formation  is  like  its  com- 
mencement. The  same  causes  continue,  with  similar  re- 
sults," and  the  reader  might  easily  supply  the  details  from 
the  facts  already  presented.  The  production  of  debris 
will  necessarily  continue  to  go  on :  a  part  will  be  swept 
by  the  waves,  across  the  patch  of  reef,  into  the  lagoon  or 
channel  beyond,  while  other  portions  will  fill  up  the 
spaces  among  the  corals  along  its  margin,  or  be  thrown 
beyond  the  margin  and  lodge  on  its  surface.  The  layer 
of  dead  coral  rock  which  makes  the  body  of  the  reef  has 
its  border  of  growing  corals,  and  is  thus  undergoing  ex- 
tension at  its  margin,  both  through  the  increase  in  the 
corals  and  the  debris  dropped  among  them. 

"  But  besides  the  small  fragments,  larger  masses  will 
be  thrown  on  the  reefs  by  the  more  violent  waves,  and 
commence  to  raise  them  above  the  sea.  The  clinker 
fields  of  coral  by  this  means  produced  constitute  the  first 
step  in  the  formation  of  dry  land.  Afterward,  by  further 
contributions  of  the  coarse  and  fine  coral  material,  the 
islets  are  completed,  and  raised  as  far  out  of  the  water  as 
the  waves  can  reach — that  is,  about  ten  feet  with  a  tide 
of  three  feet ;  and  sixteen  to  eighteen  feet  with  a  tide  of 
six  or  seven. 

4  The  ocean  is  thus  the  architect,  while  the  coral 
polyps  afford  the  material  for  the  structure ;  and,  when 
all  is  ready,  it  sows  the  land  with  seed  brought  from  dis- 
tant shores,  covering  it  with  verdure  and  flowers. 

"  The  existence  of  harbors  about  coral-bound  lands,  and 
of  entrances  through  reefs,  is  largely  attributable  to  the 
action  of  tidal  or  local  marine  currents.  The  presence 
of  fresh-water  streams  has  some  effect  toward  the  same 
end,  but  much  less  than  has  been  supposed.  These 
causes  are  recognized  by  Mr.  Darwin  in  nearly  the  same 
manner  as  here ;  yet  the  views  presented  may  be  taken 
as  those  of  an  independent  witness,  as  they  were  written 
out  before  the  publication  of  his  work. 

*  There  are  usually  strong  tidal  currents  through  the 
reef  channels  and  openings.  These  currents  are  modified 
in  character  by  the  outline  of  the  coast,  and  are  strongest 
wherever  there  are  coves  or  bays  to  receive  the  advancing 
tides.  The  harbor  of  Apia,  on  the  north  side  of  Upolu, 

216 


ORIGIN   OF   CORAL   REEFS 

affords  a  striking  illustration  of  this  general  principle. 
The  coast  at  this  place  has  an  indentation  2000  yards 
wide  and  nearly  1000  deep.  The  reef  extends  from 
either  side,  or  cape,  a  mile  out  to  sea,  leaving  between 
an  entrance  for  ships.  The  harbor  averages  ten  feet  in 
depth,  and  at  the  entrance  is  fifteen  feet.  In  this 
harbor  there  is  a  remarkable  out-current  along  the  bot- 
tom, which,  during  gales,  is  so  strong  at  certain  states  of 
the  tide  that  a  ship  at  anchor,  although  a  wind  may  be 
blowing  directly  in  the  harbor,  will  often  ride  with  a  slack 
cable ;  and  in  more  moderate  weather  the  vessel  may  tail 
out  against  the  wind.  Thus  when  no  current  but  one  in- 
ward is  perceived  at  the  surface,  there  is  an  undercurrent 
acting  against  the  keel  and  bottom  of  the  vessel,  which 
is  of  sufficient  strength  to  counteract  the  influence  of  the 
winds  on  the  rigging  and  hull.  The  cause  of  such  a  cur- 
rent is  obvious.  The  sea  is  constantly  pouring  water  over 
the  reefs  into  the  harbor,  and  the  tides  are  periodically 
adding  to  the  accumulation ;  the  indented  shores  form  a 
narrowing  space  where  these  waters  tend  to  pile  up ;  es- 
cape consequently  takes  place  along  the  bottom  by  the 
harbor  entrance,  this  being  the  only  means  of  exit.  There 
are  many  such  cases  about  all  the  islands.  In  a  group 
like  the  Feejees,  where  a  number  of  the  islands  are 
large  and  the  reef  very  extensive,  the  currents  are  still 
more  remarkable,  and  they  change  in  direction  with  the 
tides. 

'  The  results  from  marine  currents  are  often  increased 
by  waters  from  the  island  streams ;  for  the  coves,  where 
harbors  are  most  likely  to  be  found,  are  also  the  em- 
bouchures of  valleys  and  the  streamlets  they  contain. 
The  fresh  waters  poured  in  add  to  the  amount  of  water, 
and  increase  the  rapidity  of  the  out-current.  At  Apia, 
Upolu,  there  is  a  stream  thirty  yards  wide;  and  many 
other  similar  instances  might  be  mentioned.  These 
waters  from  the  land  bring  down  also  much  detritus, 
especially  during  freshets,  a,nd  the  depositions  aid  those 
from  marine  currents  in  keeping  the  bottom  clear  of 
growing  coral.  These  are  the  principal  means  by  which 
fresh-water  streams  contribute  toward  determining  the 
existence  of  harbors ;  for  little  is  due  to  their  freshening 
the  salt  waters  of  the  sea. 

"  The  small  influence  of  the  last-mentioned  cause — 

217 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

the  one  most  commonly  appealed  to — will  be  obvious, 
when  we  consider  the  size  of  the  streams  of  the  Pacific 
islands,  and  the  fact  that  fresh  water  is  lighter  than  salt, 
and  therefore,  instead  of  sinking,  flows  on  over  its  sur- 
face." 

Discovery  of  Bowditch  Island 

A  striking  picture  of  life  among  the  most  primitive 
people,  on  an  island  discovered  by  the  Expedition  and 
named  "  Bowditch  Island,"  will  next  be  given. 

"  This  island  and  the  two  others  near  it  were  among 
the  few,  perhaps  the  last,  examples  that  remained  until 
1840,  of  Pacific  lands  never  before  visited  by  the  white 
man.  The  people  therefore  were  in  that  purely  savage 
state  which  Captain  Cook  found  almost  universal  through 
the  ocean  in  the  latter  part  of  last  century.  A  few  words 
respecting  our  reception  at  this  coral  island-  may  not, 
therefore,  be  an  improper  digression. 

"  The  islanders  knew  nothing  of  any  other  land  or 
people: — an  ignorance  not  surprising,  since  the  lagoons 
of  the  group  have  no  good  entrances,  and  a  nation  cannot 
be  great  in  navigation  or  discovery  without  harbors.  As 
a  consequence,  our  presence  was  to  them  like  an  appari- 
tion. The  simple  inhabitants  took  us  for  gods  from  the 
sun,  and,  as  we  landed,  came  with  abundant  gifts  of  such 
things  as  they  had,  to  propitiate  their  celestial  visitors. 
They,  no  doubt,  imagined  that  our  strange  ship  had 
sailed  off  from  the  sun  when  it  touched  the  water  at  sun- 
rise, or  sunset,  and  any  child  among  them  coulcKsee  that 
this  was  a  reasonable  supposition.  The  king,  aTter  em- 
bracing Captain  Hudson,  as  the  latter  states  in  his  Journal 
(Wilkes's  Narrative),  rubbed  noses,  pointed  to  the  sun, 
howled,  moaned,  hugged  him  again  and  again,  put  a  mat 
around  his  waist,  securing  it  with  a  cord  of  human  hair, 
and  repeated  the  rubbing  of  noses  and  the  howling;  and 
the  moment  the  captain  attempted  to  leave  his  side,  he 
set  up  again  a  most  piteous  howl,  and  repeated  in  a 
tremulous  tone,  '  Nofo  ki  lalo,  mataku  au  '  ('  Sit  down,  I 
am  afraid  ').  While  thus  in  fear  of  us,  they  showed  a 
great  desire  that  their  dreaded  visitors  should  depart; 

218 


DISCOVERY   OF   A   CORAL   ISLAND 

some  pointed  to  the  sun,  and  asked  by  their  gestures 
about  our  coming  thence,  or  hinted  to  us  to  be  off  again. 

"  But  with  all  their  reverence  toward  their  mysterious 
guests,  they  became  after  a  while  quite  familiar,  and  took 
advantage  of  every  opportunity  to  steal  from  us.  Our 
botanist  gave  his  collecting-box  to  one  of  them  to  hold, 
and,  the  moment  his  back  was  turned,  off  the  native  ran, 
and  a  hard  chase  was  required  to  recover  it — a  most  un- 
dignified run  on  the  part  of  the  celestial. 

'  While  the  men  wore  the  maro,  the  equivalent  of  tight- 
fitting  breeches,  six  inches  or  less  in  length,  the  women 
were  attired  in  a  simple  bloomer  costume,  consisting 
solely  of  a  petticoat  or  apron,  twelve  to  eighteen  inches 
long,  made  of  a  large  number  of  slit  cocoanut  leaves,  and 
kept  well  oiled.  Besides  this  they  had  on,  as  ornaments, 
necklaces  of  shell  or  bone.  The  girls  and  boys  were 
dressed  au  naturel,  after  the  style  in  the  garden  of  Eden. 
These  primitive  fashions,  however,  were  not  peculiar  to 
the  group,  being  in  vogue  also  in  other  parts  of  the 
Pacific. 

"  As  a  set-off  against  the  geographical  ignorance  of 
these  islanders,  we  may  state  that  Captain  Hudson  and 
the  best  map-makers  of  the  age  knew  nothing  of  the 
existence  of  Bowditch  Island  until  he  discovered  it;  and 
from  him  comes  the  name  it  bears,  given  in  honor  of  the 
celebrated  author  of  Bowditch' 's  Navigator  as  well  as  of 
the  translation  of  Laplace's  Mecanique  Celeste. 

"  Notwithstanding  all  the  products  and  all  the  attrac- 
tions of  a  coral  island,  even  in  its  best  condition  it  is  but 
a  miserable  place  for  human  development — physical, 
mental,  or  moral.  There  is  poetry  in  every  feature,  but 
the  natives  find  this  a  poor  substitute  for  the  breadfruit 
and  yams  of  more  favored  lands.  The  cocoanut  and 
Pandanus  are,  in  general,  the  only  products  of  the  vege- 
table kingdom  afforded  for  their  sustenance,  and  fish, 
shell-fish,  and  crabs  from  the  reefs  their  only  animal  food. 
Scanty  too  is  the  supply ;  and  infanticide  is  resorted  to 
in  self-defence,  where  but  a  few  years  would  otherwise 
overstock  the  half  a  dozen  square  miles  of  which  their 
little  world  consists — a  world  without  rivers,  without  hills, 
in  the  midst  of  salt  water,  with  the  most  elevated  point 
but  ten  to  twenty  feet  above  high  tide,  and  no  part  more 
than  three  hundred  yards  from  the  ocean. 

219 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

"  In  the  more  isolated  coral  islands  the  language  of  the 
natives  indicates  their  poverty  as  well  as  the  limited  pro- 
ductions and  unvarying  features  of  the  land.  All  words 
like  those  for  mountain,  hill,  river,  and  many  of  the  im- 
plements of  their  ancestors,  as  well  as  the  trees  and  other 
vegetation  of  the  land  from  which  they  are  derived,  are 
lost  to  them ;  and  as  words  are  but  signs  for  ideas,  they 
have  fallen  off  in  general  intelligence.  It  would  be  an 
interesting  inquiry  for  the  philosopher,  to  what  extent  a 
race  of  men  placed  in  such  circumstances  is  capable  of 
mental  improvement.  Perhaps  the  query  might  be  best 
answered  by  another,  How  many  of  the  various  arts  of 
civilized  life  could  exist  in  a  land  where  shells  are  the 
only  cutting  instruments, — the  plants  of  the  land  in  all 
but  twenty-nine  in  number, — minerals  but  one, — quad- 
rupeds none,  with  the  exception  of  foreign  rats  or  mice, 
— fresh  water  barely  enough  for  household  purposes, — no 
streams,  nor  mountains,  nor  hills  ?  How  much  of  the 
poetry  or  literature  of  Europe  would  be  intelligible  to 
persons  whose  ideas  had  expanded  only  to  the  limits  of 
a  coral  island ;  who  had  never  conceived  of  a  surface  of 
land  above  half  a  mile  in  breadth, — of  a  slope  higher  than 
a  beach, — of  a  change  of  seasons  beyond  a  variation  in 
the  prevalence  of  rains  ?  What  elevation  in  morals 
should  be  expected  upon  a  contracted  islet,  so  readily 
overpeopled  that  threatened  starvation  drives  to  infanti- 
cide, and  tends  to  cultivate  the  extremest  selfishness  ? 
Assuredly  there  is  not  a  more  unfavorable  spot  for  moral 
or  intellectual  progress  in  the  wide  world  than  the  coral 
island. 

"  Still,  if  well  supplied  with  foreign  stores,  including  a 
good  stock  of  ice,  they  might  become,  were  they  more 
accessible,  a  pleasant  temporary  resort  for  tired  workers 
from  civilized  lands,  who  wish  quiet,  perpetual  summer 
air,  salt-water  bathing,  and  boating  or  yachting;  and 
especially  for  those  who  could  draw  inspiration  from  the 
mingled  beauties  of  grove,  lake,  ocean,  and  coral  meads 
and  grottoes,  where 

life  in  rare  and  beautiful  forms 

Is  sporting  amid  those  bowers  of  stone. 

"  But,  after  all,  the  dry  land  of  an  atoll  is  so  limited, 

220 


SUBSIDENCE   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

its  features  so  tame,  its  supply  of  fresh  water  so  small, 
and  of  salt  water  so  large,  that  whoever  should  build  his 
cottage  on  one  of  them  would  probably  be  glad,  after  a 
short  experience,  to  transfer  it  to  an  island  of  larger 
dimensions,  like  Tahiti  or  Upolu, — one  more  varied  in 
surface  and  productions;  that  has  its  mountains  and  pre- 
cipices ;  its  gorges  and  open  valleys ;  leaping  torrents  not 
less  than  surging  billows;  and  forests  spreading  up  the 
declivities,  as  well  as  groves  of  palms  and  corals  by  the 
shores. ' ' 

Subsidence  in  the  Pacific 

The  changes  of  level  at  the  bottom  of  the  Pacific  Ocean 
are  discussed  in  the  fifth  chapter  of  Corals  and  Coral 
Islands  : 

"  It  has  been  shown  that  atolls,  and  to  a  large  extent 
other  coral  reefs,  are  registers  of  change  of  level.  From 
the  evidence  thus  afforded  the  bottom  of  a  large  part  of 
the  Pacific  Ocean  is  proved  to  have  undergone  great  os- 
cillations in  recent  geological  time.  In  this  direction, 
then,  we  find  the  grandest  teachings  of  coral  formations. 
The  facts  surveyed  give  us  a  long  insight  into  the 
past,  and  exhibit  to  us  the  Pacific  once  scattered  over 
with  lofty  lands,  where  now  there  are  only  humble  monu- 
mental atolls.  Had  there  been  no  growing  coral,  the 
whole  would  have  passed  without  a  record.  These  per- 
manent registers  exhibit  in  enduring  characters  some  of 
the  oscillations  which  the  '  stable  '  earth  has  since  under- 
gone. 

"  From  the  actual  size  of  the  coral  reefs  and  islands, 
we  know  that  the  whole  amount  of  high  land  lost  to  the 
Pacific  by  the  subsidence  was  at  the  very  least  fifty  thou- 
sand square  miles.  But  since  atolls  are  necessarily  smaller 
than  the  land  they  cover,  and  the  more  so  the  further 
subsidence  has  proceeded ; — since  many  lands,  owing  to 
their  abrupt  shores,  or  to  volcanic  agency,  must  have  had 
no  reefs  about  them,  and  have  disappeared  without  a 
mark;  and  since  others  may  have  subsided  too  rapidly 
for  the  corals  to  retain  themselves  at  the  surface,  it  is 
obvious  that  this  estimate  is  far  below  the  truth.  It  is 
apparent  that,  in  many  cases,  islands  now  disjoined  have 
been  once  connected,  and  thus  several  atolls  may  have 

221 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

been  made  about  the  heights  of  a  single  subsiding  land 
of  large  size.  Such  facts  show  additional  error  in  the 
above  estimate,  evincing  that  the  scattered  atolls  and 
reefs  tell  but  a  small  part  of  the  story.  Why  is  it,  also, 
that  the  Pacific  islands  are  confined  to  the  tropics,  if  not 
that  beyond  thirty  degrees  the  zoophyte  could  not  plant 
its  growing  registers  ?  " 

Although  some  repetition  will  follow,  I  think  that 
readers  generally  will  enjoy  the  perusal  of  a  popular  ad- 
dress on  coral  formations,  which  was  given  to  a  private 
circle  in  New  Haven,  February  19,  1855,  by  the  naturalist, 
then  fresh  from  his  prolonged  study  of  the  zoophytes. 

A  PARLOR  LECTURE  ON  CORALS  BY  PROFESSOR  DANA 

"  By  suggestion  from  one  whom  we  all  hold  in  high 
esteem,  I  have  been  led  to  select  for  brief  remark  this 
evening  the  subject  of  Coral  Formations. 

"  The  coral  atoll  is  well  described  as  a  monument 
erected  over  a  buried  island.  I  propose  to  show  how  this 
seeming  extravagance  of  poetry  is  actually  sober  scientific 
fact.  A  description  of  the  appearance  of  the  coral  atoll 
above  and  beneath  the  water,  and  its  growth  amid  the 
waves,  will  prepare  the  way  for  the  real  poetry  of  science, 
which,  in  opposition  to  one  who  has  sung  of  coral  islands, 
I  believe  to  be  found  in  the  truth. 

"  The  atoll — so  called  from  the  language  of  the  Mal- 
dives— consists  of  a  narrow  rim  of  coral  reef,  a  few  hun- 
dred yards  wide,  surrounding  a  lake  or  lagoon.  It  lies 
in  mid-ocean,  just  emerging  above  the  surface,  a  coral 
garden  beneath  the  waters,  a  circling  grove  of  palms 
above.  The  land  is  raised  but  ten  feet  above  the  tides, 
or  eighty  to  one  hundred  feet  to  the  tops  of  the  palms  or 
cocoanut  trees.  A  vessel  approaches  almost  within  hail 
before  the  atoll  is  fairly  in  sight.  At  first,  there  is  seen 
a  range  of  dots  low  in  the  distant  horizon.  As  the  ship 
speeds  on,  these  dots  expand  into  the  plumed  tops  of 
cocoanut  palms.  Then  the  deep  green  grove  springs  into 
full  view,  with  the  dazzling  white  beach  in  front — so 
white  and  shadowless  that  it  seems  like  a  vertical  wall ; 
while  the  heavy  breakers  are  careering  and  foaming  along 

222 


A   POPULAR   LECTURE 

the  whole  border  of  the  reef.  Beyond  the  grove  opens  a 
quiet  scene,  like  an  inland  sea,  in  strange  contrast  with 
the  surging  ocean.  Coming  still  nearer,  the  grove  is 
traced  around  by  the  right  and  left,  until  finally  it  meets 
in  the  far  distance,  embracing  completely  the  placid 
waters — which  are,  in  fact,  a  lake,  and  the  atoll  now  ap- 
pears in  its  completed  beauty.  There  are  various  trees 
and  shrubbery  besides  the  cocoanut,  and  all  have  a 
peculiar  luxuriance  and  richness  of  coloring,  notwith- 
standing the  thinness  of  the  coral-made  soil.  Beneath 
the  shade  of  the  cocoanut  groves  may  perhaps  be  de- 
scried the  scattered  huts  of  a  native  village,  and  a  file  of 
swarthy  savages,  clad  in  nature's  best,  stand  along  the 
beach;  while  on  yonder  lagoon  slender  canoes  are  dally- 
ing about  some  fishing-ground,  or  gliding  rapidly  to  a 
distant  shore. 

"  On  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  these  islands  we 
found  no  inhabitants  but  the  birds  of  the  groves.  It 
was,  in  fact,  a  little  bird-world;  and  such  a  picture  of 
Eden  loveliness  as  I  had  never  expected  to  see.  Its 
graceful  occupants,  various  in  plumage  and  song,  quietly 
perched  amid  the  foliage,  or  flitted  from  branch  to  branch, 
and  showed  no  fear  at  the  approaching  hand; — for  we 
took  them  from  the  trees,  as  we  would  gather  fruit. 
They  sometimes  flew  in  circles  round  and  round,  narrow- 
ing down  till  they  lit  on  our  heads.  Our  ornithologist 
went  ashore  with  powder  and  shot;  but  the  sportsman 
could  find  no  pleasure  in  shooting;  indeed,  he  could  help 
himself  without. 

"  During  my  rambles  over  the  island  I  came  across  a 
noble  bird,  as  white  as  snow,  and  nearly  as  large  as  an 
albatross.  In  my  zeal  for  science  I  began  to  contemplate 
it  as  a  very  fine  specimen — indeed,  a  magnificent  speci- 
men ;  and  although  it  was  not  in  my  line  of  research,  it 
seemed  a  failure  of  duty  to  neglect  the  opportunity  to 
secure  it.  By  a  scientific  process  the  work  of  death  is 
easily  accomplished.  I  went  up  to  him — he  stood  still, 
not  offering  to  fly.  I  commenced  to  carry  out  my  plan ; 
— a  slight  point  of  blood  soiled  the  white  plumage,  and 
my  zeal  gave  out.  It  was  another's  duty  to  play  execu- 
tioner and  not  mine ; — and  after  stroking  down  his  feath- 
ers and  wishing  him  well,  I  walked  away.  But  as  I 
glanced  back  from  time  to  time,  there  was  that  bird  still, 

223 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

looking  toward  me,  and  I  see  him  yet  as  on  that  day.  I 
take  it  the  bird  recovered,  as  I  did  not  encounter  the  fate 
of  the  '  Ancient  Mariner/ 

"  Only  in  the  most  finished  state,  and  in  islands  of 
comparatively  small  size,  is  the  belt  of  verdure  around 
the  lagoon  unbroken.  Generally,  it  is  rather  a  string  of 
green  patches  upon  the  reef,  with  bare  intervals  of  coral 
reef  rock  between,  over  many  of  which  intervals  the 
waves  at  high  tide  roll  into  the  lagoon;  and  there  are 
frequently  one  or  more  openings  where  ships  may  enter 
for  safe  anchorage  within.  The  atoll  is  never  circular  in 
shape,  and  may  be  of  any  form,  like  other  islands.  The 
lagoon  varies  in  depth  from  a  few  feet  to  three  hundred, 
and  often  tiny  islets  are  seen  over  its  surface. 

'  The  larger  islands  are  forty  or  fifty  miles  in  length, 
and  the  lagoon  then  looks  like  a  fragment  of  the  ocean, 
which,  in  fact,  it  is. 

"  Were  the  ocean  away,  the  atoll  would  appear  some- 
what like  a  broad  shallow  urn ; — having  for  its  basin  what 
is  now  the  lagoon,  and  the  dry  land  as  its  rim  or  border. 
The  urn  would  show  within  a  bottom  of  white  coral  sand, 
with  here  and  there  an  islet  of  growing  corals;  upon  its 
rim,  the  vocal  groves  already  described;  and  around  its 
body  above,  a  belt  of  coral  plantations. 

'  Jumping  into  a  boat  on  a  serene  day  when  the  waves 
are  still,  and  pulling  over  the  shallow  waters, — as  the 
ripple  of  the  oar  dies  away,  you  see  the  various  corals 
deep  in  the  clear  liquid  element,  as  diversified  in  appear- 
ance as  the  vegetation  of  the  land,  and  singularly  like 
plants  in  their  forms  and  the  blossoms  that  cover  them. 
Or  you  may  defy  the  tides  and  traverse  the  half-exposed 
reef,  and  find  in  many  a  crystal  pool  a  perfect  garden  of 
zoophytes.  Even  in  the  very  breakers  you  would  en- 
counter scenes  over  which  you  would  exult,  and  all  the 
more  for  the  waves  that  come  dashing  around  you. 
There  are  small,  leafless  trees  of  many  kinds ; — clumps  of 
dense  shrubbery  and  colored  twigs;  mossy  tufts;  imita- 
tions of  the  cactus,  lichen,  or  fungus ;  pendant  alcyonia  of 
orange,  scarlet,  and  crimson  hues  waving  in  the  coral  caves 
with  the  motion  of  the  waters;  there  are  broad  spreading 
leaves,  single  or  elegantly  grouped,  the  whole  surface  set 
over  with  flowers;  and,  as  decorations  of  the  groves,  there 
are  large  coral  vases  of  perfect  model,  made  of  a  network 

224 


LECTURE   ON   CORAL   ISLANDS 

of  branches,  and  neatly  filled  with  blooming  sprigs ;  there 
are  domes  or  hemispheres,  sometimes  nearly  large  enough 
to  fill  one  of  these  rooms,  and  yet  of  unblemished  sym- 
metry, and  bright  throughout  with  living  colors, — seem- 
ing like  the  gemmed  temples  of  the  coral  world ;  and  as 
the  forests  and  flowers  of  the  land  have  their  birds  and 
butterflies,  so  (as  our  own  poet  has  said  *) : 

life  in  rare  and  beautiful  forms 
Is  sporting  amid  those  bowers  of  stone. 

For  fishes  of  azure,  yellow,  scarlet,  and  other  tints,  flash 
through  the  waters  in  silent  play  among  the  branches. 
A  beautiful  little  species,  about  two  inches  long,  of  the 
richest  sky-blue,  is  one  of  the  most  common ;  they  come 
out  from  the  coral  shrubbery  in  numbers  together,  and 
dart  back  again  at  the  least  disturbance.  Another  kind 
is  a  perfect  harlequin  in  the  arrangement  of  its  various 
colors.  There  are  also  active  shrimps,  and  stealthy  crabs, 
and  numerous  forms  of  life  too  strange  for  description. 

"  These  different  kinds  of  zoophytes  are  not  all  found 
together;  nor  is  the  whole  sea-bottom  in  the  shallow 
waters  covered ;  for  there  are  large  areas  of  coral  sand, 
and  the  corals  are  scattered,  as  vegetation  is  often  scat- 
tered over  the  land, — here  and  there  a  clump  amid  regions 
of  comparative  barrenness. 

"  I  have  spoken  of  the  flowers  of  the  living  corals. 
You  of  course  know  that  I  refer  to  coral  animals,  and  not 
to  true  flowers.  Yet  the  resemblance  is  so  striking  in 
form  and  color  that  flower-animal  is  peculiarly  an  appro- 
priate name  for  the  polyp.  It  has  one  or  more  circles  of 
petal-like  tentacles  corresponding  to  the  petals  of  an 
aster;  but  at  the  centre  of  the  flower  there  is  a  mouth; 
watch  him  manage  a  piece  of  shell-fish,  and  you  will  soon 
be  satisfied  that  there  is  little  of  the  flower  except  in  the 
shape.  These  polyps  are  very  often  half  an  inch  in 
diameter,  and  vary  from  a  line  or  less  to  a  foot.  Thou- 
sands of  such  animals  are  aggregated  in  a  single  coral. 
These  thousands  of  associated  polyps  have  a  most  inti- 
mate connection  ;  for  they  are  all  grown  together  by  their 
sides.  The  several  animals  have  separate  mouths  and 

*  The  Coral  Grove,  by  James  G.  Percival. 
«5  225 


LIFE    OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

tentacles,  and  separate  stomachs ;  but  beyond  this,  there 
is  no  individual  property.  It  is  a  harmonious  phalanstery. 
Each  eats  for  its  own  pleasure,  it  is  true,  but  at  the  same 
time  for  the  general  good.  In  fact,  the  zoophyte  is  like 
a  living  sheet  of  animal  matter,  fed  and  nourished  by 
numerous  mouths  and  as  many  stomachs. 

"  The  coral  is  a  secretion  of  lime  (carbonate  of  lime) 
made  within  the  animals,  among  the  tissues;  and  in  the 
living  zoophyte  these  secretions  are  concealed, — as  much 
so  as  our  bones,  to  which  they  are  in  fact  analogous. 
Each  star  on  the  surface  of  a  coral  corresponds  to  a  single 
polyp,  and  the  star  itself  is  a  consequence  of  a  radiated 
arrangement  of  fleshy  partitions  within  the  polyp. 

"  Unlike  the  hive  of  the  bee  or  the  hillock  of  the  ant, 
there  is  no  work  done  in  the  coral  phalanstery.  The 
polyps  live  without  locomotion;  they  eat  such  chance 
game  as  is  thrown  in  their  way;  and  the  coral  grows 
within  them  by  natural  secretion.  They  are  no  more 
laborers  than  any  animal  is  so  in  making  its  bones. 

"  Zoophytes  care  so  little  for  a  fracture  or  a  wound 
that  a  broken  branch  dropping  in  a  favorable  place 
will  grow  into  a  new  coral  plant,  its  base  becoming 
cemented  to  the  rock  on  which  it  may  rest.  Coral  plan- 
tations may  be  levelled  by  the  waves ;  yet,  like  the  trod- 
den sod,  if  left  quiet  for  a  while,  they  sprout  again  and 
continue  to  flourish  as  before.  The  sod  has  roots,  which 
remain  unhurt ;  but  the  living  coral  has  a  source  or  centre 
of  life  in  every  polyp  that  blossoms  over  its  surface. 
Each,  if  separated,  might  be  the  germ  of  a  new  zoo- 
phyte. 

"  I  have  thus  far  alluded  to  the  features  of  a  coral 
island  and  the  growth  of  the  coral  plantations  beneath 
the  sea.  By  what  process,  now,  is  the  coral  island 
formed  ? 

'  The  history  is  simply  this :  Suppose  a  reef  at  low-tide 
level.  The  corals  are  growing  in  scattered  clumps  or  in 
occasional  thickets  over  the  shallow  bottom.  The  heavy 
waves,  especially  when  storms  are  raging,  tear  up  the 
corals  and  dash  them  over  one  another;  sometimes  they 
lift  large  masses  from  their  bed,  which  moving  along 
break  down  whatever  may  be  in  their  way.  The  frag- 
ments, or  many  of  them,  by  constant  trituration  under 
the  untiring  sea,  are  reduced  to  sand  or  pebbles;  the 

226 


LECTURE   ON   CORAL   ISLANDS 

pebbles  and  sand  are  thrown  upon  the  reef  by  the  same 
action ;  at  times,  immense  blocks,  a  thousand  cubic  feet 
in  size,  also  share  this  fate.  Thus  accumulations  of  frag- 
ments, coarse  and  fine,  are  constantly  going  on,  just  as 
in  one  of  our  forests  decaying  leaves  and  stems  and 
animal  remains  add  yearly  to  the  soil;  and  by  this 
means  the  island  begins  to  appear  above  the  water.  As 
soon  as  the  sea  has  raised  the  land  beyond  the  encroach- 
ing tides  many  small  plants  and  shrubs  take  immediate 
root ;  and  these  are  followed  by  others,  until  the  grove 
finally  establishes  itself  over  the  new-made  soil. 

"  Thus,  it  is  not  a  process  of  polyp  labor;  it  is  not 
living  growth  alone,  but  growth  connected  with  the  wear 
and  tear  of  the  waves ;  growth  affording  the  material — the 
waves  acting  as  the  nimble  yet  powerful  architects,  grind- 
ing up  the  material  and  distributing  it  through  all  the 
crevices,  wherever  the  structure  needs  strength,  and  over 
the  level  top  of  the  reef  where  it  may  earliest  recover  a 
spot  for  the  green  plants  and  flowers.  Thus  made  amid 
the  waves,  the  coral  island  has  the  form  best  fitted  to 
withstand  the  rude  assaults  of  the  sea.  There  are  areas 
where  the  clustered  corals  grow  bodily  to  the  surface, 
and  the  waves  only  fill  the  spaces  among  the  plants  or 
their  branches.  But  these  are  within  the  quiet  lagoons, 
or  where  the  plantation  is  sheltered  from  the  force  of  the 
ocean. 

"  Such  is  the  appointment  of  the  Divine  architect. 
Read  Montgomery,  and  you  will  find  '  capillary  swarms 
of  reptiles,  horrent  as  Medusa' s  snakes, '  substituted  for 
flower-animals,  and  these  '  capillary  swarms  of  reptiles  ' 
are  made  the  toiling  though  unconscious  workers  in  the 
growing  structure.  How  much  more  poetical,  more 
glorious,  the  truth,  that  the  islands  grow  like  flowers  to 
the  surface,  instead  of  being  the  result  of  toil  in  laboring 
millions!  It  is  now  an  established  fact  that  the  coral 
zoophytes  which  form  the  body  of  reefs  do  not  grow  at 
greater  depths  than  100  or  120  feet.  And  yet  we  find 
coral  islands  standing  in  unfathomed  seas.  How  is  this 
mystery  to  be  explained  ?  In  some  soundings  taken  a 
short  distance  from  a  coral  island,  the  reef  rock  has  been 
struck  by  the  lead  at  a  depth  of  1000  to  2000  feet,  and 
fragments  brought  up  and  examined.  How  can  reefs 
2000  feet  deep  be  made  from  corals  which  cannot  grow 

227 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

below  1 20  feet  ?  We  should  say  it  were  utterly  impos- 
sible, if  we  might  without  being  justly  charged  with  con- 
tempt of  evidence.  I  visited  one  island  which  is  now 
elevated  225  feet  above  the  waves,  or  about  twice  the 
depth  to  which  corals  may  extend ;  and  yet  it  was  made 
of  the  reef  rock  to  low-tide  level ;  and  how  many  hun- 
dreds of  feet  below  this  I  cannot  say. 

"  We  must  admit,  then,  that  the  corals  of  each  coral 
island  were  planted  upon  land  within  120  feet  of  the  sur- 
face ;  and  as  the  foundation  or  basement  is  now,  in  the 
case  of  many  atolls,  at  a  depth  of  1000  or  2000  feet  or 
more,  it  could  have  reached  such  a  depth  only  by  sink- 
ing. There  is  hence  indubitable  evidence  of  a  subsidence 
greater  or  less  than  this  for  every  coral  atoll. 

"  Land  beneath  the  sea,  within  a  hundred  feet  of  the 
surface,  is  of  very  rare  occurrence,  except  along  the  shores 
of  islands  or  continents.  In  the  formation  of  the  atoll, 
therefore,  the  coral  reef  may  have  once  been  a  reef  en- 
circling an  ordinary  hilly  island.  Indeed,  there  are  many 
such  reefs  in  the  Pacific ;  and  they  are  in  all  stages,  from 
the  first  step  to  the  last,  in  the  transition  to  atolls. 
There  are  islands  with  reefs  bordering  the  shore  or  fring- 
ing it  all  around,  the  reef  in  such  cases  usually  lying  at 
low-tide  level,  and  sometimes  more  or  less  wooded. 
There  are  other  cases  where  the  island  has  partly  sub- 
sided, and  the  reef  stands  far  off  from  its  shores.  There 
are  others  in  which  only  one  or  two  mountain  peaks  are 
left  above  the  sea.  There  are  others,  again,  in  which  the 
last  rock  of  the  old  island  has  sunk  out  of  sight,  and  the 
reef,  which  was  ever  increasing  upward  by  the  growth  of 
the  corals  and  the  help  of  the  waves,  remains  alone  at  the 
surface.  Thus  by  a  gradual  sinking  of  the  land  the  old 
island  has  disappeared.  The  subsidence  may  have  been 
only  a  yard  or  two  in  a  century ;  it  was  certainly  so  slow 
that  the  coral  animals  by  their  growth  could  keep  pace 
with  it.  Whatever  the  rate,  the  coral  atoll  is  finally 
alone.  Whenever  this  slow  subsidence  ceased,  the  waves 
would  then  begin  to  prepare  it  for  verdure,  the  verdure 
for  birds,  and  all  for  man's  use  and  enjoyment.  I  might 
touch  upon  the  depth  of  the  submergence  in  the  case  of 
various  atolls  and  reefs,  and  prove  that,  in  some  cases,  it 
amounted  to  thousands  of  feet ;  but  I  promised  you  brief 
remarks,  and  I  forbear. 

228 


LECTURE   ON   CORAL   ISLANDS 

"  Thus  it  is  that  in  actual  fact  each  atoll  marks  the  site 
of  a  buried  island.  The  coral  bed  which  was  once  planted 
around  the  shores  of  an  old  island,  when  it  was  green  and 
flourishing,  now  stands  over  the  departed  land,  and  is 
inscribed  with  as  truthful  a  '  Hie  jacet '  as  any  tombstone 
in  a  modern  graveyard.  The  Paumotu  Archipelago  con- 
tains eighty  coral  atolls,  many  of  very  large  size,  in  an 
area  of  two  hundred  thousand  square  miles.  It  is  a  vast 
island  cemetery,  where  each  atoll  is  a  coral  urn  '  in  me- 
moriam.'  The  whole  Pacific  is  scattered  over  with  these 
simple  memorials,  and  they  are  among  the  brightest  spots 
in  that  desert  of  waters." 


229 


CHAPTER  XIV 

VOLCANOES:   VISIT   TO   HAWAII,   l88/ 

Origin  of  the  Volume  on  Volcanoes — Revisiting  Hawaii — Changes  since 
his  First  Visit — Notes  on  the  Way — Letters  from  the  Various  Mem- 
bers of  the  Party — Dana's  General  Survey. 

IT  was  quite  late  in  his  life  when  Dana  published  his 
volume  on  Volcanoes,*  the  immediate  outcome  of  a 
visit  to  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  but  based  on  lifelong 
studies  so  continuous  that  one  might  say  that  the  author 
was  a  devotee  of  Vulcan,  or  that  at  least  he  had  a  pre- 
dilection for  the  fiery  forces  of  nature.  His  own  state- 
ments give  a  summary  of  the  opportunities  he  had 
enjoyed. 

"  The  personal  observations  of  the  author  " — these  are 
his  words — "  commenced  with  the  ascent  of  Vesuvius  in 
1834,  and,  the  next  month,  a  sight  of  Stromboli,  and  a 
tramp  after  minerals  on  the  solfataric  island  of  Milo. 
They  were  continued  in  1838  by  short  excursions  on 
Madeira  and  one  of  the  Cape  Verdes;  in  1839,  by  studies 
of  the  extinct  volcanic  regions  of  Tahiti,  Tutuila,  and 
Upolu,  and  the  basaltic  outflows  and  overflows  of  Illawarra 
and  other  parts  of  New  South  Wales.  They  were  further 
extended,  in  1840,  by  observations  in  the  Feejees,  and 
by  explorations  of  the  active  and  extinct  volcanoes  of  the 
Hawaiian  Islands;  in  1841,  by  observations  on  a  crater  in 
the  coast  region  of  Oregon,  instructive  though  distant 
views  of  some  of  the  lofty  cones  of  the  Cascade  Range, 
and  a  brief  survey  of  an  extinct  volcano  on  the  Sacra- 

*  New  York  :  Dodd,  Mead  &  Co.,  1891.     398  pp.,  8°. 
230 


LIFELONG   INTEREST    IN    VOLCANOES 

mento  (now  called  Marysville  Butte)  during  an  overland 
trip  from  Vancouver  to  San  Francisco;  and,  finally,  in 
1860,  by  a  second  visit  to  Vesuvius,  and  in  1887  a  second 
to  the  Hawaiian  Islands." 

The  book  on  Volcanoes  is  really,  as  its  fuller  title  in- 
dicates, a  study  of  their  characteristics  in  the  light  of 
facts  and  principles  ascertained  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands. 
The  writer  particularly  advocated  the  comparison  of 
Hawaii  with  Vesuvius  and  Etna. 

"  Hardly  three  weeks  distant  from  Europe  and  not  two 
from  New  York,  with  much  to  be  seen  on  the  way  and 
tropical  islands  growing  corals  and  tree-ferns  at  the  end, 
the  route  should  be  a  common  one  with  tourists.  The 
magnitude  and  easy  access  of  the  great  craters;  their 
proximity,  while  nearly  ten  thousand  feet  apart  in  alti- 
tude ;  their  strange  unlikeness  in  ordinary  action,  although 
alike  in  features  and  lavas;  their  unsympathizing  inde- 
pendence ;  their  usually  quiet  way  of  sending  forth  lava- 
streams  twenty  and  thirty  miles  long, — make  them  a 
peculiarly  instructive  field  for  the  student  of  volcanic 
science,  as  well  as  an  attractive  one  for  the  lover  of  the 
marvellous.  Even  the  lavas,  although  nothing  but  basalt, 
have  afforded  much  that  is  new  to  science." 

Within  a  decade  of  the  time  when  these  words  were 
written,  Hawaii  became  a  part  of  the  United  States,  and 
this  change  of  relations  will  doubtless  increase  the  atten- 
tion bestowed  upon  the  island  group  by  American  volcan- 
ists,  and  Dana's  book  will  become  a  landmark  in  Hawaiian 
geology. 

His  earlier  visit  to  Hawaii  has  already  been  men- 
tioned. Almost  half  a  century  later  he  was  led  to  think 
of  another  visit  because  during  the  few  months  previous 
he  had  been  receiving  numerous  documents  from  some  of 
the  gentlemen  on  the  islands  (including  Mr.  Alexander), 
describing  the  progress  of  the  survey,  the  condition  of 
the  volcanoes,  etc.  He  published  a  paper  on  "  Volcanic 

231 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT    DANA 

Action  "  in  the  Journal  for  February,  1887,  and  his  series 
of  papers  on  the  "  History  of  the  Changes  in  the  Mauna 
Loa  Crater  "  began  in  the  June  number,  and  was  con- 
tinued in  that  for  July,  and  then  taken  up  again  after  his 
return.  It  was  this  that  put  into  his  head  the  sudden 
thought  that  perhaps  he  could  go  back  to  the  islands  and 
see  those  things  again  for  himself.  His  son  remembers 
distinctly  the  Sunday  when  the  suggestion  was  first 
thrown  out.  It  seemed  at  first  a  visionary  plan,  in  view 
of  past  limitations;  but  with  a  little  encouragement  it 
immediately  took  practical  form.  His  quick  decision 
was  interesting  and  characteristic. 

With  his  wife  and  daughter,  Professor  Dana  left  New 
Haven,  crossed  the  continent  by  the  Union  and  Central 
Pacific  Railroads,  and  sailed  from  San  Francisco,  July 
19,  1887,  in  the  steamship  Australia,  Captain  Houdlette. 
A  week's  voyage  brought  the  party  to  Honolulu.  On 
the  ist  of  August  an  excursion  was  made  to  the  crater 
of  Haleakala,  under  the  escort  of  Professor  Alexander  of 
the  Hawaiian  Survey.  The  party — which  included  Mrs. 
and  Miss  Dana,  and  President  *  and  Mrs.  Merritt  of  the 
Oahu  College — landed  at  Kahului,  and  most  of  the  party 
proceeded  to  ascend  the  volcano.  "  Fine  views  of  the 
crater  were  obtained,"  says  one  of  the  reports,  "  the 
party  going  partly  around  it  outside,  and  down  into  it, 
where  they  camped,  on  the  night  of  August  2j.th-5th,  near 
a  little  spring.  It  was  a  glorious  night,  full  moon,  and 
fine  weather.  Being  well  supplied  with  blankets  and 
provisions,  all  were  quite  comfortable.  Next  day  they 
made  their  way  back  to  Paia.  Professor  Dana,  though 
seventy-four  years  of  age,  stood  the  trip  well  and  enjoyed 
it  very  much."  The  next  day  he  went  to  Hilo,  to  spend 
a  week  at  the  volcano  of  Kilauea.  The  party  returned 
to  Honolulu  August  23d.  A  few  days  later,  Professor 
Dana  and  President  Merritt  drove  around  Oahu,  via  the 

*  Rev.  William  Carter  Merritt. 
232 


HAWAIIAN   VOLCANOES 

Pali  and  Waialua,  visiting  the  chasm  of  Kaliuwaa  and  the 
calcareous  bluffs  of  Kahuku.  They  sailed  homewards  on 
the  Australia  August  3Oth. 

The  entire  journey  showed  the  qualities  of  a  masterful 
mind.  Undertaken  purely  for  the  acquisition  of  accurate 
knowledge,  it  was  a  brilliant  example  of  scientific  enthu- 
siasm and  of  undaunted  resolution.  It  was  not  "  en- 
dowed research  "  that  inspired  him,  nor  a  government 
appointment,  nor  curiosity  to  revisit  the  scenes  of  his 
early  studies,  nor  a  desire  for  fame,  nor  the  duty  of  a 
station,  nor  the  love  of  mountain-climbing,  nor  health, 
nor  recreation.  Science  allured  him.  For  her  sake  he 
crossed  a  continent  and  an  ocean,  ascended  lofty  peaks, 
and  exposed  himself  to  wind  and  weather,  at  a  time  of 
life  when  another  man  would  have  said,  "  I  have  done 
enough ;  let  me  stay  in  an  easy-chair!  "  But  Dana  never 
grew  old.  He  tired;  he  needed  periods  of  long  repose; 
but  his  spirit  was  inexhaustible.  Whenever  his  brain 
was  rested  and  his  body  refreshed,  he  was  up  again  and 
at  it, — to  the  end  of  his  days  as  resolute  and  enterprising 
as  he  was  in  youth. 

Accounts  of  the  journey  were  promptly  published  in 
the  Journal  of  Science.  Side-lights  on  the  expedition  will 
here  be  given  from  the  letters  of  some  of  those  who 
accompanied  the  traveller. 

A  brief  extract  from  a  notice  of  the  arrival  of  the  party, 
published  in  The  Friend,  at  Honolulu,  draws  a  sharp  con- 
trast between  the  earlier  date  and  the  later  in  the  means 
of  travel  and  the  condition  of  the  islands : 

"  How  great  the  changes  in  the  forty-seven  years  both 
in  America  and  Hawaii !  The  Golden  Gate  was  then  an 
almost  unexplored  passage,  and  Honolulu  a  town  of 
grass  and  adobe  huts,  with  scarcely  a  tree.  No  steam- 
ship had  then  ever  visited  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Our  mails 
were  then  five  months  in  coming,  and  now  are  only  twelve 
days.  There  are  very  few  of  the  old-time  people  left  to 

233 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

greet  him.  Professor  Dana  has,  however,  many  personal 
friends,  pupils  and  correspondents,  and  students  of  his 
books  in  these  islands,  who  will  make  him  feel  at  home. 

"  We  would  add  that  Premier  W.  L.  Green  kindly 
loaned  us  his  copy  of  Dana's  Geology  the  other  day,  with 
the  remark  that  he  '  knew  it  all  by  heart/  The  well- 
worn  book  bears  marks  of  the  truth  of  that  statement." 


Here  are  two  notes  by  the  way  in  the  course  of  the 
transcontinental  journey. 


JAMES  D.    DANA  TO  HIS  SON  EDWARD 

'*  CHICAGO,  July  10,  1887. 

"  You  have  already  heard  of  our  safe  arrival  here,  our 
first  stopping-place.  The  heat,  the  noise  and  jar  of  the 
cars,  and  the  roar  of  passing  trains  made  the  first  day  out 
trying  to  unaccustomed  nerves.  .  .  .  But  in  spite  of 
all  I  slept  well  the  following  night.  Yesterday  and  to- 
day there  has  been  nothing  in  the  heat  to  complain  of, 
so  that  we  look  forward  to  a  comfortable  time  on  the  way 
to  Salt  Lake  City." 

"  SALT  LAKE  CITY,  July  14,  1887. 

"  We  have  been  interrupted  by  a  call  from  Major  Wilkes 
and  his  daughter.  The  father  is  a  son  of  the  old  Com- 
modore, and  was  very  cordial  in  his  greeting.  He  re- 
membered meeting  your  father  after  the  return  of  the 
Exploring  Expedition,  when  himself  a  lad.  He  is  a  civil 
engineer,  and  has  been  sixteen  years  engaged  in  this 
region,  having  located  all  the  railroads  in  the  mountains 
thus  far  constructed. 

"  I  add  a  note  to  announce  that  I  have  sent  a  specimen 
of  granite  from  the  Cottonwood  Cafion  (the  rock  of  which 
the  Mormon  Temple  is  made)  by  mail,  as  this  is  cheaper 
than  carrying  it  in  an  overfull  bag.  I  was  interested  in 
its  containing  minute  yellow  crystals  which  I  suppose  to 
be  zircons,  though  staggered  a  little  by  the  color. 

'  Yesterday  was  delightfully  cool,  and  the  day  before 

234 


LETTERS    FROM    HAWAII 

hardly   less   so;    but    Monday  was   hot,  intensely   hot; 
mercury  103°  in  the  car,  in  crossing  Iowa." 

Next  come  some  of  the  family  letters  from  Hawaii. 

MRS.    JAMES   D.    DANA  TO   E.    S.    DANA 

"  HAUKU  ISLAND,  OFF  MAUAI,  August  4,  1887. 

"  I  am  left  here  at  the  charming  home  of  Mr.  Henry 
Baldwin,  with  our  late  hostess,  Mrs.  Merritt,  while  father 
and  the  others  have  gone  up  the  mountain  Haleakala. 
It  is  an  ascent  of  ten  thousand  feet,  and  from  the  top 
there  is  a  descent  of  two  thousand  feet  into  an  extinct 
volcano  of  great  size  and  interest.  The  party,  five  gentle- 
men and  three  ladies  (a  stranger  from  Oakland  having 
availed  herself  of  the  chance) ;  Professor  Alexander,  Mr. 
Merritt,  Oliver  Carter,  Mr.  Walsh,  and  father  make  up 
the  number.  They  had  two  pack-mules  and  a  native  on 
a  third,  and  were  well  provided  with  blankets,  tents,  etc. 

"  They  moved  off  about  2.30  yesterday, expecting,  after 
three  or  four  hours'  ride,  to  spend  the  night  at  Olinda  in 
houses.  To-day  they  finish  the  climb,  descend  two 
thousand  feet,  on  the  animals,  into  the  crater,  and  there 
pass  the  night.  To-morrow  P.M.  I  hope  to  report  them 
all  safe  back.  I  can  see  the  mountain  from  the  veranda 
where  I  write,  and  I  much  fear  that  there  may  be  rain 
there,  but  it  is  impossible  to  judge  correctly. 

'  We  left  Honolulu  Monday,  on  the  Like-Like*  (not 
leaky  in  fact,  if  in  sound).  It  is  a  very  rough  trip,  and 
there  were  few  besides  our  three  who  were  not  flat  on  the 
mattresses  on  deck  before  we  had  been  an  hour  out !  It 
was  there  we  all  passed  the  night.  My  next  neighbor  on 
one  side  was  a  large  dog!  He  was  quiet,  and  I  much 
preferred  him  to  the  noisy  natives  with  their  necklaces — 
'  leis  ' — of  jasmine  and  tuberose.  We  escaped  wonder- 
fully, but  it  was  an  experience  we  do  not  care  to  repeat, 
nor  to  dwell  upon !  We  landed  early,  and  were  glad  of 
an  invitation  to  eat  the  lunch  brought  with  us  in  a  pleas- 
ant house  near  the  wharf,  where  hot  coffee  was  provided 
for  us,  and  we  were  much  revived  thereby.  There  are 

*  The  native  pronunciation  is  "  Leeky-Leeky." 
235 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

no  public  accommodations  here,  and  you  are  taken  in  as 
may  be  possible.  We  were  the  first  night  at  the  house 
of  Mr.  Walsh ;  after  the  party  went  off  I  was  sent  for  to 
come  here  to  Mr.  Baldwin's.  Mrs.  Baldwin  is  a  sister  of 
Professor  Alexander,  and  both  are  children  of  early  mis- 
sionaries. ." 


JAMES  D.    DANA  TO   E.    S.    DANA 

"  I  am  back  again,  as  you  see,  from  the  volcano  trip — 
none  the  worse  for  the  ride  excepting  a  scorching  of  lips 
and  chin  by  the  hot  sun.  We  refused  to  put  on  masks, 
against  advice  and  example,  and  hence  the  blistering. 
Our  party  of  eight  were  accompanied  by  a  guide  and 
other  natives  to  have  charge  of  the  pack-horses.  Olinda, 
our  stopping-place  for  the  first  night,  after  an  afternoon 
ride  of  nearly  four  hours,  is  about  six  thousand  feet  above 
the  sea-level.  It  has  three  cottages  built  for  summer  re- 
treats; one  of  them,  the  property  of  a  brother  of  Profes- 
sor Alexander,  was  ours  for  the  night.  These  are  all  its 
houses.  Imported  blackberry  vines  afforded  us  the  best 
of  blackberries  for  the  first  part  of  our  supper.  Rev.  Mr. 
Forbes  was  occupying  temporarily  one  of  the  houses,  with 
his  family,  and  he  gave  me  a  hearty  welcome,  as  he  (then 
seven  years  old)  saw  me  at  his  father's  in  1840,  when  I 
had  landed  on  the  west  side  of  Hawaii  at  Kealakakua 
Bay  (where  Captain  Cook  was  killed  last  century),  on  my 
excursion  over  the  island. 

'  The  morning  found  us  well  recruited  by  a  night  of 
rest,  and  by  eight  we  were  off  for  the  crater.  It  was  up 
over  smooth  ground,  then  rough  with  lavas,  for  the  first 
four  hours  or  so ;  and  at  last  we  were  at  the  summit  with 
the  crater  two  thousand  feet  deep  and  over  twenty  miles 
in  circuit  directly  below  us.  Its  lofty  walls  and  numerous 
cinder  cones  of  various  shades  of  red  at  bottom  make  it 
wonderfully  impressive,  and  it  became  far  more  so  after- 
ward, when,  farther  to  the  southward,  we  had  before  us 
the  great  northern  gateway  or  place  of  last  discharge, 
nearly  two  miles  in  breadth,  opening  through  the  walls. 
We  finally  commenced  the  descent  at  the  southeast 
corner,  whence  a  cinder  slope  extends  to  the  top,  with 
other  cinder  cones  at  the  summit  as  well  as  at  the  bottom. 

236 


LETTERS   FROM    HAWAII 

The  ride  down  and  to  our  place  of  encampment — the  only 
spot  where  water  can  be  had — took  us  about  two  hours 
and  made  the  day's  journey  one  of  about  eight  hours. 
.  .  .  As  my  last  horseback  ride  was  in  1860,  I  felt  the 
constrained  position,  and  was  ready  for  rest.  The  tent 
gave  us  good  shelter,  and  Professor  Alexander's  kindness 
supplied  me  with  the  luxury  of  a  cot.  Sleep  came  to  the 
crowd  inside,  which  included  three  ladies  besides  the  five 
men,  and  by  morning  all  were  in  trim  for  breakfast  by 
7.30,  and  for  a  start  back  by  eight. 

"  Besides  the  great  northward  discharge  down  the 
slopes  to  the  sea,  there  was  also  a  southward,  equally 
large ;  and  the  fields  of  scoriaceous  lavas  over  the  floor, 
coming  out  apparently  from  beneath  the  crater  cones,  as 
well  as  covering  large  areas  among  them,  appeared  to 
show  that  both  places  of  discharge  were  used  by  the  one 
vast  eruption.  We  were  back  at  Olinda  by  two,  had 
there  a  lunch  of  blackberries  and  cream  provided  for  us 
by  Mr.  Forbes,  and  soon  after  five  were  at  Mr.  Gulick's. 

"  We  are  now,  Sunday  P.M.,  at  Wailuku,  at  Rev.  Mr. 
Bissell's.*  We  shall  have  a  ride  to-morrow  morning  into 
Wailuku  Valley,  which  is  supposed  to  be  the  crater  of 
the  western  group  of  mountains  on  Maui.  It  is  a  ride  of 
only  three  or  four  hours,  having  no  great  difficulties. 
At  twelve  to  two  the  following  midnight  we  shall  be 
waiting  for  the  steamer  Kinau,  that  is  to  take  us  to 
Hilo.  It  is  larger  than  the  Like-Like,  has  staterooms  on 
deck  as  well  as  below,  and  is  in  every  way  more  comfort- 
able. After  about  eighteen  hours,  it  will  land  us,  accord- 
ing to  its  time-table,  at  Hilo.  Deck  staterooms  have 
been  engaged  for  us.  ...  A  large  oleander  bush, 
full  of  flowers,  is  waving  in  the  wind  just  outside  of  the 
window." 

MRS.    JAMES   D.    DANA  TO   E.    S.    DANA 

"KILAUEA,  SANDWICH  ISLANDS,  August  13,  1887. 

"  Our  last  letter  was  written  last  Sunday  at  Wailuku. 
I  will  leave  it  to  those  who  made  the  trip  to  tell  you  of 
the  lovely  sight  they  had  of  the  Wailuku  Valley.  That 

*  Rev.  Arthur  D.  Bissell,  a  graduate  of  Amherst  in  1879  an(i  of  Yale 
Theological  Seminary  in  1882. 

237 


LIFE  OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

was  on  Monday,  and  while  the  gentlemen,  with  your 
sister,  were  absent,  Mrs.  Merritt  and  I  were  carried  two 
miles  out  from  Wailuku  to  the  loveliest  home  we 
have  seen  yet.  There  we  were  till  the  party  joined 
us,  dined  together,  and  at  10.30  the  carriages  came 
that  took  us  seven  miles  to  the  landing-place  for  the 
steamer.  But  I  must  say  a  word  more  about  the 
pleasant  ladies  and  charming  children  with  whom  our 
day  was  passed.  Nowhere  have  we  seen  such  a  wealth 
of  flowers.  One  rose  tree  in  full  bloom  had  a  trunk 
as  large  as  my  arm !  We  enjoyed  our  day  very  much, 
more  than  we  did  waiting  in  the  carriages  on  the 
wharf  (the  horses  were  taken  out)  until  about  three  o'clock 
A.M.  The  steamer  was  late,  and  it  is  never  possible  to 
count  upon  its  promptness.  Moreover,  the  King  was  on 
board  of  her  till  she  made  her  last  stop  at  Lahaina.  But 
he  was  sent  for  and  taken  back  in  another  vessel,  so  that 
we  were  not  honored  (?)  by  his  company.  All  these  ves- 
sels lie  out  far  from  the  wharf,  and  the  clamber  up  the 
ship's  sides,  especially  in  a  heavy  sea,  is  not  pleasant. 
We  have  done  it,  however,  many  times.  It  was  a  tedious 
trip  in  a  heavily  rolling  vessel,  even  to  those  not  suffering, 
and  very  hard  on  some  of  our  friends.  We  had  a  great 
pleasure  in  receiving  from  Mr.  Emerson  the  home  letters. 
I  had  supposed  they  must  wait  for  daylight  for  a  reading, 
but  lo !  an  electric  light  in  our  stateroom  made  that  easy. 
'  We  went  on  board  our  steamer  early  Tuesday  A.M., 
and  were  landed,  very  weary,  at  Hilo  at  6  A.M.  on 
Wednesday.  There  again  friends  were  watching  for  us, 
and  we  were  taken  to  the  home  of  Mrs.  Severance,  of 
whom  Miss  Bird  says  so  much.  .  .  .  Hilo  was  the 
former  home  of  dear  Mr.  Coan,  '  the  emerald  bower  '  of 
which  he  wrote  so  glowingly.  It  is  very  pretty,  embow- 
ered in  green,  and  along  the  shore  are  seen  the  cocoanut 
trees  so  distinctive  in  every  tropical  picture.  .  .  . 

From  Hilo  was  another  horseback  trip,  while  I  drove 
with  Mrs.  Severance  and  Mrs.  Merritt  about  Hilo.  It 
was  warm  there  again,  and  mosquitoes  drove  me,  too, 
under  shelter  once  more.  At  Maui  we  had  fine  air  and 
no  torments. 

Mr.  Emerson  and  Mr.  Bishop  came  from  Honolulu 
to  join  us,  also  Dr.  Whitney  and  wife  and  two  children. 
Finally  we  moved  on  from  Hilo  with  a  party  of  twelve. 

238 


LETTERS    FROM    HAWAII 

We  went  over  to  the  steamer  again  early  Friday  A.M., 
had  a  lovely  view  of  the  shores  in  our  trip  of  six  hours, 
landed  about  12.30  (what  a  scramble!),  and  found  our 
horses  waiting  to  bring  us  up  here.  .  .  .  The  road 
was  much  better  than  we  had  been  told,  and  two  and 
a  half  hours  carried  us  over  the  six  miles  to  the  half-way 
house.  There  we  all  dismounted  to  take  the  '  brakes  ' 
in  which  we  were  to  finish  our  trip.  .  .  .  We  had  a 
lovely  drive  through  a  tropical  forest,  a  wonderful  growth 
of  ferns  shading  a  good  road,  and  reached  this  house 
about  7  P.M.  As  soon  as  the  light  faded,  the  fires 
below  illuminated  the  waves  of  steam  rising  from  the 
crater,  till  we  could  hardly  be  willing  to  close  our  eyes 
for  slumber — tired  though  we  were.  This  is  a  primitive 
place,  but  we  are  comfortable  under  the  charge  of  an 
obliging  landlord,  and  have  a  pleasant  circle  about  us. 
We  expect  to  be  here  a  week,  then  descend  by  an  easy 
grade  to  Punaluu  for  Sunday,  and  return  on  the  Hall,  to 
reach  Honolulu  on  Tuesday — the  23d. 

'  The  trip  to  the  crater  was  made  in  the  rain,  and  all 
returned  soaked.  Father  and  Mr.  Emerson  were  the  last 
to  arrive,  at  four  o'clock.  The  rubber  coats  had  kept 
them  safe,  and  now,  after  sending  the  wet  clothes  to  a 
drying-room  where  a  big  fire  is  burning,  father  is  dozing 
till  dinner-time.  He  felt  fully  repaid  for  his  efforts,  but 
finds  the  show  far  less  brilliant  than  in  1840.  .  .  .  All 
around  this  house  the  steam  rises  from  the  ground  in  a 
very  suggestive  way,  and  there  is  a  bank  near  by  from 
which  are  brought  lovely  sulphur  crystals.  The  air  is 
pure  and  fine,  there  are  no  mosquitoes,  and  if  the  beds 
are  hard,  it  is  easier  to  sleep  than  in  better  ones  at  a 

lower  level.  Mr.  M is  from  Brooklyn  (N.  Y.),  and  is 

a  pleasant  host.  Our  room  is  on  the  piazza,  has  no 
window,  so  that  last  night  we  left  the  door  (which  is  half 
glass)  open,  guarded  by  a  heavy  valise  lest  any  of  the 
dogs  should  push  in.  ...  Mr.  Emerson  told  me 
that  at  the  half-way  house,  on  our  way  up,  they  said  they 
had  orders  to  give  him  the  best  horse  in  a  brake  for  Mrs. 
Dana,  while  Professor  Dana  and  his  daughter  were  to 
follow.  This  is  but  a  sample  of  the  way  we  are 
treated!  .  .  . 

"  This  is  now  Sunday,  and  once  again  mist  and  rain 
shut  down  upon  us.  I  woke  very  early  and  listened  to  a 

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LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

strange  sound  which  suggested  the  dash  of  waves.  Mr. 
Emerson  thinks  I  was  right  in  my  suspicion  that  it  was 
the  roar  of  the  sea — of  fire !  He  said  he  had  heard  it  here 
himself." 

MISS  DANA  TO   E.    S.    DANA 

"VOLCANO  HOUSE,  KILAUEA,  August  15,  1887. 

'  This  morning  father  and  Mr.  Emerson  planned  for 
an  early  start  down  into  the  crater,  if  the  skies  were 
favorable.  But  they  were  not,  and  there  was  small  hope 
of  a  change  for  the  better.  Suddenly  it  came,  however, 
and  just  at  nine  they  started  off.  ...  A  favorite 
course  is  to  go  down  about  3.30,  and  return  late  in  the 
evening,  so  seeing  the  fiery  billows  to  the  best  advantage. 
Of  course  lanterns  are  carried,  but  it  is  not  very  com- 
fortable. .  .  . 

'  This  house  is  very  unlike  any  mountain  hotel  you 
were  ever  at.  Most  of  the  rooms  open  on  the  piazza. 
They  are  small,  very  plain,  and  the  beds  are  very  hard. 
The  table  is  pretty  good,  but  the  regular  cook  is  off 
on  a  vacation,  and  our  host  is  evidently  troubled  about 
our  service.*' 

'*  PUNALUU,  HAWAII,  August  21,  1887. 

'  The  ride  (from  the  Volcano  House  to  this  place)  was 
called  ten  miles,  but  they  were  long  ones,  and  five  were 
over  the  lava,  requiring  careful  movement.  We  were  all 
quite  willing  to  rest  at  the  half-way  house,  after  having 
been  in  the  saddle  over  four  hours.  We  found  a  lunch 
awaiting  us,  but  were  reminded  that  we  were  all  to  dine 
with  Mr.  Foster,  at  the  Pahala  Plantation,  some  nine 
miles  farther  on.  Over  those  miles  we  were  carried  in  a 
'  bus  '  drawn  by  four  mules,  six  of  the  party  inside,  one 
beside  the  driver,  and  the  rest  in  two  brakes.  It  was  a 
hard,  rough,  trip,  and  gave  us  all  the  shaking  up  that 
could  well  be  put  into  that  space  of  time.  This  is  a 
desolate  region;  lava  covers  most  of  the  ground.  I  was 
deeply  impressed  by  the  amount  and  extent  of  volcanic 
action,  and  am  truly  glad  my  home  does  not  lie  on 
Hawaii!  Our  new  host,  Mr.  Foster,  was  waiting  to  wel- 
come our  arrival  at  his  charming  house.  We  were  a 

240 


LETTERS   FROM   HAWAII 

forlorn,  weary  set,  but  were  provided  with  an  excellent 
dinner,  beautifully  served,  and  I  assure  you  we  appre- 
ciated it.  We  sat  down  sixteen  at  table.  It  was  to  that 
house  that  we  three  were  invited  for  the  two  days  which 
we  must  pass  in  waiting  for  our  steamer,  but  we  thought 
it  better  to  continue  on  here,  where  we  should  all  be  at 
hand  to  take  the  vessel,  instead  of  coming  five  miles  at  a 
still  earlier  hour.  We  had  a  restful,  pleasant  two  hours 
or  more  there,  and  then  finished  our  journey  in  a  new 
way.  There  is  a  narrow-gauge  railroad  from  the  planta- 
tion to  Punaluu,  built  to  carry  freight.  Over  that  we 
passed  in  an  '  observation  car,'  no  cover,  sitting  in  two 
lines,  back  to  back,  and  propelled  most  of  the  way  by 
gravity  alone.  A  man  held  the  brakes  and  watched  very 
carefully,  for  it  was  entirely  dark  by  this  time.  Some  of 
our  party  were  very  nervous,  but  it  was  a  rest  after  all 
the  rough  jolting,  and  the  stars  were  glorious.  We  were 
much  favored  in  the  weather  all  that  day.  It  was  the 
first  time  in  a  week  that  rain  had  not  pursued  us,  and 
called  for  waterproofs,  etc.  For  the  last  two  miles  we 
were  drawn  by  mules,  and  at  last  found  ourselves  at  our 
journey's  end.  This  is  a  comfortable  house,  kept  by  a 
Norwegian  who  has  married  a  half-white.  Both  speak 
English  well,  and  are  very  civil  and  attentive ;  there  is  no 
one  here  but  our  party. 

"  Nineteen  years  since  this  place  was  badly  shaken  by 
earthquakes,  and  a  tidal  wave  swept  over  where  the  hotel 
now  stands,  carrying  away  the  houses  and  the  little 
church,  which  was  then  nearer  the  sea.  Mr.  Foster  told 
us  of  one  day  he  had  passed  when  there  were  360  shocks 
in  twenty-four  hours.  His  hanging-lamp  did  not  cease 
to  vibrate  for  half  an  hour!  It  is  a  fearful  region  to 
dwell  in. 

"  Last  night  Mr.  Emerson  brought  in  the  oldest  man 
in  the  vicinity  to  tell  what  he  remembered  of  such  scenes. 
He  was  a  white-headed,  venerable  man,  seemingly  bright 
in  his  faculties,  though  he  says  he  was  a  man  grown  and 
married  when  the  missionaries  came — so  he  must  be 
eighty-five  or  more.  Mr.  Emerson  and  Mr.  Bishop 
talked  with  him  freely  in  his  native  tongue,  and  it  was  an 
interesting  scene.  Mr.  Emerson  told  him  that  father 
was  a  rock-rending  sorcerer  (he  used  the  native  name  for 
sorcerer)  from  a  great  school  in  America, '  a  sorcerer  who 

241 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

could  rend  rocks !  '  *  This  refers  to  their  belief  that  the 
sorcerers  can  pray  people  to  death,  or  pray  rocks  asun- 
der. Nothing  was  said  of  a  hammer!  The  native  is 
himself  a  Christian,  has  been  an  elder  in  their  church, 
though  now  too  old  and  feeble  to  perform  the  duties  of 
the  office. 

"  Father  feels  well  repaid  for  the  journey  here,  and 
made  several  trips  around  and  across  the  crater.  It  is 
surprising  how  well  he  has  borne  all  his  fatigue,  and 
especially  the  semi-public  life  we  lead." 

J.    D.    DANA  TO   HIS   SON  ARNOLD 

"  HONOLULU,  August  23,  1887. 

'  We  are  just  back  to-day  from  our  trip  to  Maui  and 
Hawaii — which  has  occupied  the  last  three  weeks.  It 
has  been  a  great  success  throughout,  as  regards  pleasure, 
science,  health,  etc.  The  details  are  in  part  in  your 
mother's  and  sister's  letters,  and  for  Maui,  I  believe,  in 
one  of  mine  to  Ned.  Your  sister  has  gone  through  all 
the  volcanic  excursions  as  well  as  any  of  the  party,  and 
perhaps  a  little  better,  nothing  seeming  to  fatigue  her 
and  everything  to  interest.  ...  In  our  week  at  Ki- 
lauea,  mother  saw  the  fires  from  the  Volcano  House  and 
once  from  a  nearer  point ;  but  did  not  go  down  into  the 
crater.  I  was  at  the  bottom  three  days,  besides  going 
over  the  country  around  it.  But  the  fires,  while  instruct- 
ive, were  far  from  brilliant  and  greatly  inferior  to  those 
of  1840." 

J.    D.    DANA  TO   E.    S.    DANA. 

"  HONOLULU,  August  24,  1887. 

"  As  to  myself,  I  have  kept  at  work  pretty  constantly, 
learned  much,  tramped  much,  and  am  none  the  worse  for 
it — even  after  the  half-starving  fare  during  the  week  at 
the  Volcano  House. 

*  Professor  Dana's  Hawaiian  title  : 

Kahuna  wawahi         pohaku. 

(doctor  or  priest)  (rend)          (rocks) 

Rock-rending  medicine  man. 

242 


LETTERS    FROM   HAWAII 

"  I  came  to  the  conclusion — positive — that  Wilkes's 
western  wall  of  the  crater  is  wrong;  so  the  '  conclusions  ' 
as  to  changes  since  1840,  on  that  side  of  the  crater,  in  my 
manuscript  prepared  for  the  latter  part  of  my  memoir, 
are  wrong.  The  last  night  of  our  week  at  Kilauea — when 
I  did  not  go  down  into  the  crater,  because  of  the  rain  and 
also  some  cold  which  I  had  taken  in  consequence  of  a  wet 
trip  the  day  before — the  party,  ten  in  number,  .  .  . 
saw  distinctly  very  pale  greenish-white,  scarcely  bluish, 
flames,  one  to  three  feet  high,  at  four  or  five  different 
points  in  the  feebly  active  lake.  Kilauea  disappointed 
me  much  at  first,  as  the  great  pit  has  an  average  depth 
of  only  420  feet,  against  the  650  feet  to  the  black  ledge 
and  1000  to  the  bottom  which  I  found  in  1840.  But  it 
was  still  full  of  interest,  and  several  important  points  I 
was  able  to  settle. ' ' 

J.    D.    DANA  TO   HIS   DAUGHTER   MRS.    COIT 

"  HONOLULU,  Aug.  28,  1887. 

"  While  the  others  are  at  church,  I  use  the  time  this 
evening  to  send  you  a  message  from  the  islands.  In  a 
note  to  Ned  of  last  Wednesday,  I  spoke  of  my  return 
from  Hawaii  the  day  before,  and  of  my  preparing  to  start 
the  next  day  on  a  three  days'  trip  over  this  island,  Oahu. 
*  From  this  trip  I  returned  yesterday.  Mr.  Merritt, 
President  of  Oahu  College  (Yale  graduate  of  1879),  went 
with  me,  taking  his  horse  and  carriage,  and  we  had  a  de- 
lightful time.  The  scenery  along  the  way  was  grand — 
much  of  it  of  Colorado  canyon  style;  and  one  or  two  of 
the  buttressed  cathedrals  which  running  water  had  carved 
out  of  the  old  mountain  are  hardly  exceeded  in  impres- 
siveness  anywhere.  The  low  lands  along  the  coast  are  in 
many  parts  great  rice-fields,  through  Chinese  enterprise, 
the  Chinamen  fast  supplanting  the  Kanakas,  owing  to 
their  working  qualities  and  knowledge.  In  their  present 
half-grown  state  these  fields  are  a  very  pleasing  sight, 
owing  to  their  rich  green  color.  The  fields  are  fields  of 
shallow  water  (fresh  water  from  the  mountains)  in  which 
the  Chinamen  have  set  out  in  long  rows  the  grass-like  rice 
plants.  The  plantations  are  at  first  but  three  or  four 
inches  out  of  water,  but  most  of  them  now  from  fifteen 

243 


LIFE   OF  JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

to  eighteen  inches,  which  is  about  two-fifths  the  final 
height.  There  are  also  similar  water-fields  of  taro,  but 
these  are  small  on  that  part  of  the  island  (the  northern) 
compared  with  those  of  rice.  The  plantations  of  sugar- 
cane are  also  large,  even  exceeding  those  of  rice;  but 
these  are  under  the  control  of  American  or  English 
planters. 

'  We  spent  the  first  night  at  the  summer  residence  of 
the  Chief  Justice  of  the  islands,  Mr.  Judd,  son  of  Dr. 
Judd,  whom  I  knew  here  well  in  1840.  .  .  .  The 
other  night  was  spent  at  the  fine  residence  of  Mr.  Hal- 
stead,  at  Waialua,  whose  sugar  plantations  are  of  great 
extent.  His  house  is  very  handsomely  furnished,  both 
with  furniture  and  children.  But  the  distance  of  the 
place  from  Honolulu  —  some  twenty-seven  or  twenty- 
eight  miles — has  large  inconveniences.  For  example,  a 
piano-tuner's  visit  costs  $50,  and  a  doctor's  call,  $75. 
We  went  into  the  sugar-mill,  where  sugar  is  made  from 
the  sugar-cane.  We  saw  the  cane,  in  lengths  of  five  or 
six  feet,  first  put  into  a  long  trough,  the  bottom  of  which 
was  moving  slowly  toward  two  large  iron  rollers.  Reach- 
ing the  rollers  the  cane  was  caught  and  pressed  between 
the  rollers,  squeezing  out  the  sweet  juice,  which  fell  into 
a  vat  below,  while  the  refuse  cane  passed  on  and  thence 
was  carried  off  to  dry.  This  refuse  cane  is  the  fuel  of  the 
steam-engine ;  while  the  leaves  and  smaller  stems  of  the 
sugar-cane  are  the  fodder  of  the  horses  or  mules  used  at 
the  mill.  We  saw  the  great  vats  where  the  juice  was 
boiled  by  means  of  steam  to  concentrate  it;  another 
where  lime  was  mixed  with  it  for  purification ;  other 
vacuum  chambers  where  the  purified  juice  was  boiled 
further  for  concentration,  at  a  temperature  of  only  130° 
F.  (because  of  the  vacuum),  preparing  for  the  deposition 
of  the  sugar ;  and  then  the  circular  vessels  of  brass,  full  of 
minute  holes  in  the  sides,  which  were  filled  with  the  sugar 
so  made,  and  then  made  to  whirl  around  with  great 
rapidity  to  get  rid  of  the  liquid  part,  or  molasses,  which 
flies  out  through  the  minute  holes  on  account  of  the 
rotation. 

'  Through  with  our  visit  to  the  mill,  we  were  off  at 
nine  yesterday  for  Honolulu.  Here  I  found  an  empty 
room.  But  in  the  course  of  an  hour  mother  and  Amy 
were  back  from  a  beautiful  drive  in  the  country,  Tuesday, 

244 


VOLCANOES 

at  twelve  noon,  we  are  to  be  aboard  the  Australia, 
and  by  the  7th  we  expect  to  reach  San  Francisco,  the 
post-office  of  which  city  will  dispatch  this  letter  east- 
ward." 

Dana's  mature  reflections  shall  be  given  in  his  own 
words  from  the  preface  to  the  volume  on  Volcanoes, 
already  cited : 

"  Science  has  learned  from  Hawaii  more  than  it  knew 
of  the  mobility  of  liquid  basalt ;  of  the  consequent  range 
in  flow-angle  of  basalt-lavas,  from  the  lower  limit  near 
horizontality  to  the  verticality  of  a  waterfall,  and  there- 
fore of  lava-cones  of  the  lowest  angle,  and  driblet-cones 
of  all  angles ;  of  lava-lakes  tossing  up  jets  over  their  fiery 
surface  like  the  jets  of  ebullition,  and  in  other  cases  play- 
ing grandly  in  fountains  hundreds  of  yards  in  height; 
and,  consequently,  of  the  absence  from  the  craters  of 
large  cinder-ejections.  It  has  further  learned  of  a  degree 
of  system  in  the  changes  within  a  crater  from  one  epoch 
of  eruption  to  a  state  of  readiness  for  another;  of  a  sub- 
sidence, after  an  eruptive  discharge  of  lava,  that  has 
carried  down,  hundreds  of  feet,  a  large  part  of  a  crater's 
floor  without  a  loss  of  level  in  its  surface;  and,  following 
this,  of  a  slow  rising  of  the  subsided  floor,  chiefly  through 
the  ascensive  or  upthrust  action  of  the  lavas  of  the  lava- 
column,  and  the  lifting  force  taking  advantage  of  the 
fault-planes  that  were  made  at  the  subsidence ;  and  also 
of  debris-ridges  and  debris-cones,  one  to  two  hundred 
feet  in  elevation,  made,  by  the  lift,  out  of  the  talus  of  the 
pit-walls. 

11  It  has  learned  that  pit-shaped  craters  are  characteris- 
tic of  true  basalt  volcanoes,  and  a  result  of  the  free  mobil- 
ity of  the  lavas,  whether  the  action  in  the  lava-lakes 
within  be  fountain-like  or  boiling-like  ;  that  floating 
islands  of  solid  lava  may  exist  in  the  lakes ;  that  a  regular 
oscillation  between  fusion  and  cooling  takes  place  at  times 
in  the  thin  crust  of  lava-lakes ;  that  the  solid  lava  of  the 
margin  of  a  lake  may  be  re-fused,  and  also  even  the  mass 
of  a  floating  island,  and  the  blocks  of  a  debris-cone  until 
the  cone  has  wholly  disappeared. 

"  It  has  discovered  that  solfataric  action,  or  that  of 

245 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

the  hot  vapors  in  lava-caverns,  may  include  the  recrystal- 
lizing  of  basalt,  therein  making  it  into  long,  stony,  pipe- 
stem  stalactites  and  stalagmites,  having  cavities  lined 
with  transparent  crystals  of  augite  and  labradorite,  be- 
sides octahedrons  of  magnetite. 

"  It  has  obtained  evidence,  also,  that  the  greatest  of 
eruptions  may  occur  without  the  violence  or  the  noise 
of  an  earthquake,  and  without  an  increase  of  activity  in 
the  crater;  that,  in  place  of  an  increase,  there  may  be  a 
sudden  extinction  of  the  fires,  all  light  and  heat  and 
vapors  disappearing  as  soon  as  the  discharge  begins ;  of 
the  greater  frequency  of  eruptions  during  the  wetter 
season  of  the  year ;  of  the  agency  of  fresh  water  from  the 
rains  (and  snows)  in  the  supplying  of  steam-power  for 
volcanic  action ;  of  the  full  sufficiency  of  water  from  this 
source  without  help  from  the  ocean, — fresh  water  being 
as  good  as  salt  for  all  volcanic  purposes ;  and,  further,  of 
a  great  augmentation  of  the  activity  so  produced  with  the 
increase  in  altitude  of  the  working  crater. 

'  These  are  facts  from  Hawaii — and  not  all  that  might 
be  cited — that  have  not  yet  been  made  out  from  the  in- 
vestigation of  other  volcanoes,  not  even  the  best  known, 
Vesuvius  and  Etna. 

"  But  much  remains  to  be  learned  from  the  further 
study  of  the  Hawaiian  volcanoes.  Some  of  the  points 
requiring  elucidation  are  the  following:  the  work  in  the 
summit-crater  between  its  eruptions ;  the  rate  of  flow  of 
lava-streams  and  the  extent  of  the  tunnel-making  in  the 
flow;  the  maximum  thickness  of  streams;  the  existence 
or  not  of  fissures  underneath  a  stream  supplying  lava; 
the  temperature  of  the  liquid  lava;  the  constitution  of 
the  lava  at  the  high  temperatures  existing  beneath  the 
surface;  the  depth  at  which  vesiculation  begins;  the  kinds 
of  vapors  or  gases  escaping  from  the  vents  or  lakes ;  the 
solfataric  action  about  the  craters ;  the  source  of  the  flames 
observed  within  the  area  of  a  lava-lake ;  the  differences 
between  the  lavas  of  the  five  Hawaiian  volcanoes, — Ki- 
lauea,  Loa,  Kea,  Hualalai,  and  Kohala;  the  difference  in 
kind  or  texture  of  rock  between  the  exterior  of  a  moun- 
tain and  its  deep-seated  interior  or  centre, — for  the  eluci- 
dation of  which  subject  Kohala's  northern  gorges  may 
possibly  afford  material ;  the  difference  between  Loa,  Kea, 
and  Haleakala  in  the  existence  below  of  hollow  chambers 

246 


VOLCANOES 

resulting  from  lava-discharges, — a  problem  which  Mr.  E. 
D.  Preston  has  begun  to  solve  by  pendulum  observations, 
and  there  is  reason  to  hope  may  continue  to  investigate 
to  its  complete  solution ;  and,  besides,  if  admitting  of 
field  study,  the  movements  of  the  lavas  in  the  great  lava- 
columns,  and  the  source  or  sources  of  the  ascensive 
movement. 

'  The  geologist  who  is  capable  of  investigating  these 
subjects  will  find  other  inquiries  rising  as  his  work  goes 
forward. ' ' 


247 


CHAPTER  XV 

PROFESSOR   LE   CONTE'S   ESTIMATE   OF  DANA 

Professor  Joseph  Le  Conte's  Estimate  of  Dana  as  a  Geologist — Corals, 
Cephalization,  and  Volcanism — Development  of  the  Earth  as  a  Unit — 
Continental  Ice-Sheet. 

THE  author  of  this  memoir  is  not  qualified  to  speak 
with  authority  in  respect  to  the  contributions  of 
Professor  Dana  to  the  science  that  he  most  loved,  and 
fortunately  there  is  no  reason  for  him  to  make  the  at- 
tempt. Many  highly  qualified  men  have  made  the 
desired  reviews,  and  among  them  Professor  Joseph  Le 
Conte,  of  the  University  of  California,  spoke  as  follows 
before  the  American  Society  of  Geologists  soon  after 
Mr.  Dana's  death.  This  address  is  so  admirable  in  style, 
and  so  appreciative  in  spirit,  that  its  principal  paragraphs 
will  be  given  to  the  reader. 

ADDRESS 

Dana's  Comprehensive  Mind 

There  are  few,  very  few,  men  (and  becoming  fewer 
every  year)  whose  thoughts  ranged  so  widely  and  who 
accomplished  distinguished  results  in  so  many  directions 
as  did  Dana.  He  became  the  highest  living  authority  in 
mineralogy,  in  several  departments  of  zoology, — as,  for 
example,  Crustacea  and  zoophytes, — and,  more  than  all, 
in  geology.  Of  some  two  hundred  and  odd  scientific 
papers  contributed  by  him,  more  than  one-half  were  on 
geology.  Not  only  in  the  three  sciences  mentioned  above 

248 


PROFESSOR   LE   CONTE'S   ADDRESS 

was  he  in  the  foremost  rank,  but  in  other  sciences  also — 
as,  for  example,  physics,  chemistry,  and  even  mathe- 
matics— his  knowledge  was  wide  and  exact.  As  he  grew 
older,  however,  his  chief  interest  and  highest  activity 
gravitated  more  and  more  toward  geology.  This  was  the 
natural  result  of  the  wide  sweep  of  his  mind,  for  geology 
is  the  most  complex  and  comprehensive  of  all  the  sciences. 
All  other  sciences  are  tributary  to  her.  It  was  for  this 
reason  in  part  that  early  philosophers  of  science  regarded 
her  as  only  an  applied  science — as  a  field  for  the  applica- 
tion of  all  the  sciences.  Dana's  wide  and  exact  know- 
ledge in  many  departments  fitted  him  in  a  peculiar  way 
and  in  an  eminent  degree  for  the  highest  achievements  in 
geology.  No  mere  specialist  in  geology  could  have  done 
Dana's  work. 

Leaving  out  of  view  his  monumental  work  on  Min- 
eralogy, for  the  reason  that  others  are  more  capable  than 
I  of  weighing  its  value,  there  are  three  main  lines  of 
thought,  all  suggested  by  his  observations  during  his  four 
years'  voyage,  which  occupied  his  mind  throughout  life. 

Growth  of  Coral  Islands 

The  first  of  these  was  corals,  coral  reefs,  and  coral 
islands.  This  is  a  subject  of  deepest  interest,  both  popu- 
lar and  scientific;  popular  on  account  of  the  gorgeous 
coloring  and  the  delicate  flower-like  beauty  of  the  zoo- 
phytes, and  the  gem-like,  fairy-like  beauty  of  the  islands 
formed  by  them — a  beauty  which  has  so  affected  the 
imagination  of  artists  as  to  have  given  rise  to  a  peculiar 
South  Sea  literature  which  reads  like  fairy  literature ;  it 
is  of  equal  or  even  greater  scientific  interest  because  of 
the  infinite  variety  of  life-forms  crowded  together  on  the 
reefs,  making  them  a  veritable  zoological  garden,  the 
greatest  gathering-ground  of  the  naturalist  and  the  great- 
est theatre  of  the  struggle  for  life  to  be  found  anywhere 
on  earth.  But  more  than  all  to  the  geologist  are  they  of 

249 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

deepest  interest  on  account  of  the  evidence  they  afford  of 
movements  of  the  crust  of  the  earth  on  a  scale  of  grandeur 
commensurate  with  the  formation  of  those  greatest  fea- 
tures of  the  earth-surface,  continental  areas  and  oceanic 
basins.  The  subsidence-theory  of  atolls  and  barriers 
powerfully  affected  the  mind  of  -Dana,  and,  although  it 
originated  with  Darwin,  no  one,  not  even  Darwin  him- 
self, has  done  more  by  close  observation  and  wide  gen- 
eralization to  establish  it  on  a  solid  foundation.  It  is  true 
that  as  a  universal  theory,  at  least  for  barriers,  it  can  no 
longer  be  maintained,  having  been  disproved  by  the  ob- 
servations of  Agassiz  on  the  coast  of  Florida,  but  as  a 
general  theory,  on  which  may  be  based  the  conclusions 
drawn  from  it  by  Darwin  and  Dana,  that  the  floor  of  the 
mid-Pacific  over  an  enormous  area  is  sinking  and  has 
been  sinking  for  ages,  I  believe  it  still  holds  its  own  as 
by  far  the  most  probable  theory.  Correlative  with  this 
sinking  is  the  rising  of  the  American  continents,  espe- 
cially on  their  western  side. 

Idea  of  Cephalization 

The  second  line  of  thought  suggested  by  the  observa- 
tions of  his  famous  voyage,  but  which  he  continued  to 
follow  up  during  his  whole  life,  was  the  idea  of  cephaliza- 
tion  or  headward  development;  that  is,  the  increasing 
dominance  of  head  functions  over  other  functions,  and 
therefore  the  increasing  subordination  of  the  whole 
structure  of  the  animal  body  to  the  service  of  the  head 
as  we  go  up  the  scale  in  any  class.  Dana  announced  this 
as  a  law  of  structural  elevation  in  any  class,  or,  as  we 
would  say  now,  as  a  law  of  evolution,  and  therefore  as  a 
guide  to  classification.  He  came  upon  this  law  in  study- 
ing the  modifications  of  the  limbs  of  crustaceans.  He 
found  that  as  we  rise  in  the  scale  more  and  more  of  the 
appendages  are  released  from  the  function  of  locomotion 
to  be  devoted  to  the  service  of  the  head.  He  afterwards 

250 


CEPHALIZATION 

applied  it  to  other  classes  of  animals.  Like  all  great 
thoughts,  its  fertility  is  inexhaustible  and  its  application 
boundless.  It  might  be  generalized  as  a  gradually  in- 
creasing dominance  of  the  higher  over  the  lower  and  of 
the  highest  over  all.  In  this  form  the  law  is  universal. 
To  give  one  illustration  of  my  own :  In  passing  from  the 
lowest  protozoan  to  man,  among  the  many  systems  of 
organs  which  are  successively  differentiated  there  is  an 
increasing  dominance  of  the  highest  system,  namely,  the 
nervous  system.  Then  in  the  nervous  system  an  increas- 
ing dominance  of  the  highest  part,  that  is,  the  brain.  In 
the  brain  an  increasing  dominance  of  the  highest  ganglion 
— the  cerebrum.  In  the  cerebrum,  of  the  highest  part, 
namely,  the  external  gray  matter,  as  shown  by  the  num- 
ber and  depth  of  the  convolutions.  Then  among  the 
convolutions  an  increasing  proportion  in  the  highest  lobe 
of  the  cerebrum — the  frontal  lobe,  as  marked  off  by  the 
fissure  of  Roland.  I  need  hardly  say  that  the  same  law 
prevails  also  in  the  evolution  of  the  individual,  both 
physical  and  psychical.  As  there  is  an  increasing  domi- 
nance of  mind  over  body,  so  in  the  mind  there  is  an 
increasing  dominance  of  reflective  over  the  perceptive 
faculties,  and  finally  of  the  moral  faculties  over  all.  The 
same  is  true  of  social  evolution.  In  all  and  everywhere 
we  find  the  same  law  of  cephalization.  Everywhere — in 
physical,  psychical,  and  social  evolution,  in  education, 
in  intellectual  and  moral  culture,  and  in  civilization — we 
find  an  increasing  dominance  of  the  higher  over  the  lower 
and  of  the  highest  over  all. 

I  do  not  follow  up  this  thought  only  because  I  do  not 
know  that  Dana  himself  did  so.  In  a  singular  degree 
he  united  boldness  of  thought  with  extreme  cautiousness 
in  method. 

Volcanism 

The  third  line  of  thought  suggested  to  his  mind  by 
his  famous  voyage  was  that  of  volcanism.  Early  in  life, 

251 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

during  his  Mediterranean  voyage,  he  became  interested 
in  this  subject,  as  shown  by  his  paper  on  Vesuvius,  the 
first  he  ever  published,  but  his  interest  was  greatly  quick- 
ened and  broadened  by  the  study  of  volcanic  phenomena 
in  the  South  Seas,  especially  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands. 
In  accordance  with  the  abounding  fertility  of  his  thought, 
he  now  no  longer  confined  himself  to  simple  local  volcan- 
ism,  but  connected  this  with  all  other  forms  of  igneous 
agency,  and  especially  with  those  grander  movements  of 
the  earth  crust  which  determine  the  greater  features  of 
the  earth's  surface.  These  movements,  though  so  slow 
and  inconspicuous  as  to  be  unperceived  except  by  the 
ever-watchful  eye  of  science,  yet,  extending  over  wide 
areas  and  acting  through  inconceivable  time,  their  ac- 
cumulated effects  far  surpass  all  other  forms.  Indeed 
volcanic  eruptions  and  earthquake  shocks  are  but  occa- 
sional accidents  in  the  slow  march  of  these  grander  move- 
ments. 

Thus  it  is  in  all  things,  the  really  most  potent  causes 
are  slow  in  operation  and  inconspicuous  in  their  effects, 
and  are  therefore  recognized  only  by  the  scientific  thinker. 
For  example,  railroad  accidents  and  steamboat  disasters, 
plague  and  pestilence,  strike  the  popular  imagination  and 
fill  the  mind  with  horror,  while  the  slower  but  constantly 
acting  effects  of  dyspepsia  and  consumption,  which  de- 
stroy their  thousands  for  one  carried  off  by  the  more 
catastrophic  way,  hardly  attract  attention  enough  to  en- 
force their  remedy  by  improved  sanitary  conditions. 
Similarly  wars  and  revolutions  strike  the  popular  im- 
agination and  fill  the  pages  of  history,  while  the  slow 
approaches  of  political  corruption  and  decay  of  truthful- 
ness which  poison  the  life-blood  and  sap  the  vitality  of 
nations  are  hardly  regarded.  Even  so  volcanoes  and 
earthquakes  strike  the  imagination  and  fill  the  pages  of 
geological  literature,  while  the  slowly  accumulating  and 
far  grander  effects  of  crust  oscillations  hardly  arrest  at- 

252 


ESTIMATE   BY   PROF.    H.    S.   WILLIAMS 

tention ;  and  yet  it  is  by  these  alone  that  continents  and 
ocean  basins  have  been  gradually  formed. 

Now  it  was  just  these  slowly  acting  causes  and  these 
grander  effects  that  took  strongest  hold  on  Dana's  mind. 
Igneous  agencies  became  for  him  the  interior  vital  forces 
of  the  earth,  which,  reacting  on  the  exterior  crust,  pro- 
duced the  greater  features,  and  by  their  eternal  conflict 
with  external,  sun-derived,  sculpturing  forces  determine 
the  evolution  of  the  earth  as  a  whole. 

The  mention  of  this  line  of  his  thought  introduces 
us  naturally  to  the  next  head,  and  that  the  one  which 
most  deeply  interests  this  Society,*  namely,  Dana  as  a 
geologist. 

Prof.  H.  S.  Williams  has  already  given  an  admir- 
able account  of  this  in  the  Journal  of  Geology  for  Sep- 
tember, 1895.  I  am  indebted  to  him  for  much  that 
follows.  For  other  details  I  would  refer  the  reader  to 
that  article. 

Development  of  the  Earth  as  a  Unit 

As  already  said,  the  idea  underlying  all  Dana's  geo- 
logical work  is  that  of  development  of  the  earth  as  a 
unit.  Before  Dana,  geology  was  doubtless  in  some  sense 
a  history — that  is,  a  chronicle  of  interesting  events;  but 
with  Dana  it  became  much  more,  it  became  a  philosophic 
history,  a  life  history,  a  history  of  the  evolution  of  the 
earth,  and  of  the  organic  kingdom  in  connection  with 
one  another.  For  the  first  time  there  was  recognized  a 
time-cosmos  governed  by  law  as  the  true  field  of  geology, 
as  the  space-cosmos  governed  by  law  is  the  field  of  astron- 
omy. Before  Dana,  geology  was  the  study  of  a  succes- 
sion of  formations;  with  Dana  it  was  the  study  of  a 
succession  of  eras,  periods,  epochs,  during  which  geo- 
graphic forms  and  organic  forms  were  both  developing 
toward  a  definite  goal.  The  underlying  idea  of  his 

*  The  American  Society  of  Geologists. 
253 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

geological  work,  I  repeat,  was  the  evolution  of  the  earth 
as  a  whole. 

It  is  necessary  to  stop  a  moment  here  to  qualify  and 
explain.  It  is  true  that  he  made  a  difference  between  the 
evolution  of  the  earth  and  that  of  the  organic  kingdom. 
It  is  true  that  while  the  development  of  the  earth  was 
regarded  by  him  as  a  natural  process  and  determined  by 
natural  causes,  and  therefore  a  true  evolution,  at  first  and 
for  a  long  time  he  regarded  the  progress  of  the  organic 
kingdom  as  belonging  to  a  different  category,  as  not  an 
evolution  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word — that  is,  not  as  a 
wholly  natural  process  determined  by  natural  forces  re- 
siding in  the  thing  evolving.  Like  Agassiz,  he  preferred 
to  liken  the  development  of  the  organic  kingdom  to  the 
building  of  a  temple  under  the  intelligent  plans  of  an 
architect  outside  of  the  work  and  acting,  as  it  were,  on 
foreign  material,  rather  than  to  an  egg  evolving  under 
its  own  resident  forces.  He  could  not  at  first  see  that 
natural  processes  are  really  divine  processes,  and  natural 
forces  are  forms  of  the  divine  energy  resident  in  nature ; 
yet  it  is  plain  to  see  now  that  his  mind  was  so  saturated 
with  the  idea  of  evolution  and  his  mode  of  thought  so 
determined  by  evolution  methods  that  he  was  bound  by 
philosophic  consistency  to  reach  eventually  a  true  evolu- 
tion point  of  view  in  the  case  of  the  organic  kingdom  as 
well  as  in  that  of  the  earth. 

Let  me,  however,  in  passing  do  justice  to  Agassiz, 
for  in  doing  so  I  do  justice  also  to  Dana  for  embracing 
his  views. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Agassiz  prepared  the  way 
for  the  theory  of  evolution  of  the  organic  kingdom,  and 
even  laid  its  whole  foundation,  in  the  three  great  laws  of 
succession  of  organic  forms  on  the  earth.  These  are :  (i) 
The  law  of  differentiation  of  specialized  from  generalized 
forms.  These  early  generalized  forms  he  called  synthetic 
types,  combining  types,  prophetic  types.  (2)  The  law  of 

254 


COMPARISON   OF    DANA   AND   AGASSIZ 

successive  culmination  of  higher  and  higher  dominant 
classes.  This  was  embodied  in  his  idea  of  successive 
reigns.  (3)  The  law  vl  progress  of  the  whole,  though  not 
necessarily  of  all  the  parts.  These  three  laws  of  succes- 
sion of  organic  forms  are  literally  the  formal  laws  of 
phylogeny  and  therefore  of  evolution.  It  only  remained 
to  reduce  these  formal  laws  of  succession  to  a  natural 
process.  This  Darwin  did.  Upon  no  other  foundation 
could  a  solid  structure  have  been  raised.  Without 
Agassiz,  Darwin  could  not  have  been. 

Now,  Dana  cordially  adopted  Agassiz's  view  of  the 
development  of  the  organic  kingdom.  By  its  grandeur 
and  comprehensiveness  it  both  captivated  his  mind  and 
satisfied  his  religious  nature,  but  in  his  own  peculiar  field, 
namely,  that  of  development  of  earth-features,  he  always 
spoke  only  of  natural  processes  and  natural  causes. 
Agassiz's  strong  and  dominating  nature  never  yielded  to 
the  new  doctrine.  Even  if  he  had  lived  to  Dana's  age, 
it  is  probable  he  would  never  have  adopted  the  modern 
acceptation  of  evolution.  Dana's  more  gentle  and  plastic 
nature  could  not  thus  set  in  unchangeable  form.  His 
open  receptiveness  of  mind  could  not  close  itself  to  truth, 
even  though  it  came  from  unexpected  quarters  and  in 
unwelcome  guise.  He  finally  came  to  see  that  the 
grandeur  of  Agassiz's  view  was  not  lessened  by  admitting 
a  natural  process.  In  his  latest  utterances  he  cordially 
accepted  evolution  in  its  modern  sense  and  as  applied  to 
the  organic  kingdom  as  not  only  the  truest,  but  also  the 
noblest  view  of  the  process  of  development.  But  while 
he  held  firmly  and  expressed  clearly  this  idea  of  evolution 
of  the  whole  earth  through  all  time,  yet  he  recognized 
the  impossibility,  in  the  present  state  of  geological  know- 
ledge, of  carrying  it  out  in  detail  in  every  part  of  the 
earth.  He  therefore  conceived  the  idea  of  taking  one 
best-known  and  simplest  continent  as  a  type.  He  re- 
garded the  North  American  as  such  a  type-continent  and 

255 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

its  evolution  as  an  epitome  of  geological  history.  Un- 
doubtedly in  this  he  was  right.  In  the  simplicity  of  its 
form  and  structure,  and  especially  in  the  unity  of  its  de- 
velopment, it  certainly  deserves  to  be  so  regarded.  To 
show  this  unity  of  development  has  been  the  main  object 
of  his  geological  work.  As  early  as  1856  he  compared 
the  evolution  of  the  American  continent  to  the  develop- 
ment of  an  egg.  From  this  point  of  view  (to  carry  out 
the  idea)  the  Canadian  Archean  area  may  be  compared 
to  the  germinal  disc,  about  which  gathered  and  organized 
itself  the  whole  continent.  This  idea  of  an  organic  de- 
velopment of  the  continent  he  worked  out  in  all  its  details. 
Whether  we  accept  all  these  details  or  not,  the  idea  has 
become  the  working  theory  not  only  for  American  geol- 
ogists, but  for  geologists  everywhere.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  Dana's  ideas  and  Dana's  work,  especially  as 
systematically  embodied  in  his  Manual,  constitute  a  dis- 
tinct epoch  in  the  history  of  geological  science. 

Nor  did  he  stop  with  the  formal  laws  of  this  develop- 
ment. His  active  mind  could  not  rest  short  of  inquiries 
into  the  causes  of  these  laws ;  and  for  this  inquiry  his  ac- 
curate knowledge  of  physics  and  chemistry  admirably 
fitted  him.  A  very  brief  outline  of  his  views  may  be 
stated  as  follows : 

1.  In   the  secular  cooling  of   the  earth  from   primal 
incandescent    liquid   condition  the  continents  mark  the 
places  of  earliest  crust-cooling  and  consolidation, — prob- 
ably because  they  were  the  places  of  least  conductivity 
and  therefore  of  least  transference  of  heat  from  within, — 
while  contrarily  the  future  ocean  basins  were  determined 
by  the  places  of  greatest  conductivity  and  therefore  of 
most  rapid  cooling  all  the  way  down  to  the  centre,  and 
therefore  also  of  most  rapid  radial  contraction.     But  for 
that  very  reason  the  crusting  in  these  places  was  later,  the 
surface  being  kept  hot  by  conduction  of  heat  from  below. 

2.  The  more  rapid  contraction  in  a  radial  direction — 

2^6 


DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  EARTH'S  SURFACE 

that  is,  sinking  of  the  ocean  bottoms — not  only  caused 
water  to  accumulate  there,  but  by  straightening  the  curve 
of  the  earth-crust  pressed  against  the  continents  on  each 
side,  pushing  up  their  edges  and  crumpling  them  into 
coast  ranges,  and  thus  determining  the  typical  form  of 
continents,  viz.,  that  of  interior  continental  basins  with 
coast-range  rims.  He  worked  out  the  whole  theory  of 
mountain-range  formation  from  this  point  of  view ;  and 
if  American  geologists  have  been  especially  active  and 
successful  in  developing  the  theory  of  the  formation  of 
mountain  ranges,  it  is  because  Dana  led  the  way.  It  is 
easy  to  see,  therefore,  why  he  was  so  intensely  interested 
in  the  sinking  of  the  mid-Pacific  bottom,  as  indicated  by 
the  coral  reefs.  This  sinking  had  its  correlative  in  the 
elevation  of  the  western  side  of  the  American  continents, 
north  and  south,  and  especially  in  the  ridging  up  of  their 
margins  into  the  great  mountains  on  that  side. 

In  the  above  statements  (i  and  2)  I  believe  I  have 
given  substantially  Dana's  views,  although  perhaps  modi- 
fied a  little  by  suggestions  of  my  own  mind ;  but  we  go 
on. 

3.  It  is  evident  that  from  this  general  point  of  view 
the  same  causes  which  originated  continents  and  ocean 
basins,  by  continuing  to  act,  would  increase  the  size  and 
height  of  the  former  and  the  depth  of  the  latter,  and 
therefore  the  places  of  continents  and  oceans  must  have 
remained  substantially  the  same.  Dana,  therefore,  was 
the  originator  of  the  idea  of  the  substantial  permanence 
of  the  places  of  these  greatest  inequalities  of  the  earth's 
surface.  The  previous  school,  which  may  be  called  the 
school  of  Lyell,  took  an  entirely  different  view.  The 
gradual  evolution  of  the  earth  as  a  unit  and  of  the  organic 
kingdom  as  a  whole  was  imperfectly,  if  at  all,  conceived 
by  the  Lyellian  school,  for  Darwin  was  not  yet.  Fossils 
were  ' '  medals  of  creation  ' ' — means  of  determining  strata ; 
the  oscillations  of  the  earth's  crust  were  irregular  and 
17  257 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

without  law  or  goal ;  the  continents  and  the  oceans  had 
changed  many  times  in  the  history  of  the  earth.  For 
Dana,  on  the  contrary,  earth-forms  have  steadily  de- 
veloped toward  their  present  condition.  The  idea  of 
evolution  was  clearly  conceived  and  applied  to  the  earth 
(though  not  to  the  organic  kingdom)  by  Dana  long  before 
Darwin's  time. 

Doubtless  this  idea  of  permanence  of  earth-forms  may 
be  pressed  too  far,  but  was  never  so  pressed  by  Dana. 
For  him  it  was  not  absolute  rigid  permanence,  for  that 
would  be  contrary  to  the  idea  of  evolution ;  for  him  it 
was  permanence  of  thought,  of  plan,  but  carried  out  by 
development,  and  therefore  with  many  changes  in  detail. 
There  have  doubtless  been  many  oscillations  of  the 
earth's  crust,  many  submergences  and  emergences  of 
land  surfaces,  especially  on  the  margins,  though  some- 
times of  greater  extent  and  affecting  also  the  interior  of 
continents,  oscillations  the  causes  of  which  we  do  not  yet 
understand ;  but  with  these  qualifications  and  limitations 
the  principle  is  now  well  established  and  generally  ac- 
cepted. 

4.  As  a  necessary  consequence  of  steady  contraction 
resisted  by  crust  rigidity,  there  must  have  been  paroxysms 
of  yielding  and  therefore  periods  of  readjustments  of  the 
crust   to    new    positions,    and    therefore   also   extensive 
changes  of  physical  geography  and  corresponding  changes 
in  organic  forms.     These  times  Dana  appropriately  called 
revolutions.     They  are  marked  by  the  formation  of  great 
mountain  ranges.     The  greatest  of  these,  and  the  one 
that  Dana  first  announced,  was  the  "Appalachian  revolu- 
tion," which  occurred  at  the  end  of  the  Paleozoic.    Other 
revolutions  have  been  brought  out  by  Dana  and  others. 
The  idea  has  been  a  most  important  and  fertile  one  in 
American  geology. 

5.  Again,  it  is  almost  a  necessary  corollary  from  the 
preceding   view  of   the   origin  of  continents  and  ocean 

258 


THE   CONTINENTAL   ICE-SHEET 

basins  by  unequal  radial  contraction,  that  the  sub-ocean 
crust  would  be  denser  in  proportion  as  it  has  contracted 
more  and  the  radii  shorter,  and  the  continental  masses 
lighter  in  proportion  as  they  have  contracted  less,  and 
their  radii  longer;  therefore,  also,  the  continental  masses 
and  the  sub-oceanic  material  are  in  isostatic  equilibrium. 
This  idea  was  originated  later  by  Button,  but  is  a  neces- 
sary result  of  Dana's  views. 

The  Continental  Ice-Sheet 

I  have  dwelt  on  this  idea  of  the  development  of  the 
earth  as  a  unit  because  it  is  the  grandest  and  most  origi- 
nal of  Dana's  ideas,  and  that  on  which  his  claims  to 
greatness  must  mainly  rest ;  but  there  are  also  other  ideas 
which,  if  they  did  not  originate  with  him,  were  worked 
out  by  him  with  untiring  energy  and  consummate  skill. 
The  most  important  among  these,  perhaps,  is  that  of  the 
continental  ice-sheet. 

We  have  already  spoken  of  the  effect  of  Agassiz's 
development-views  on  Dana.  The  fact  is,  there  was 
much  in  common  in  the  character  of  the  minds  of  the  two 
men.  Both  were  in  a  marked  degree  men  of  advanced 
thought  and  spirit.  If  Agassiz  had  the  advantage  of  in- 
tenser  enthusiasm  and  perhaps  greater  genius,  Dana  had 
the  advantage  of  wider  knowledge  of  science  in  many  de- 
partments and  more  systematic  and  orderly  methods  of 
work.  When  Agassiz  first  brought  out  his  views  of  the 
ice-sheet  origin  of  the  drift,  nearly  all  geologists,  and 
indeed  scientific  men  generally,  regarded  them  as  in  the 
last  degree  chimerical.  Humboldt  wrote  immediately 
entreating  him  as  he  valued  his  reputation  to  reconsider 
his  extravagant  views.  Dana,  on  the  contrary,  at  once 
embraced  them  with  ardor.  Now  that  the  contest  has 
ceased  and  Agassiz's  views,  pruned  of  some  of  their  ex- 
travagant features,  have  triumphed,  on  looking  back  over 
the  ground  the  important  part  that  Dana  played  in  this 

259 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

controversy  is  evident.  Many  others  have  contributed 
largely  to  the  establishing  of  the  fact  of  the  existence  of 
a  North  American  ice-sheet  and  determining  its  limits, 
chief  among  whom  must  be  mentioned  Chamberlin,  Up- 
ham,  Hitchcock,  Lewis,  Wright,  and  others;  but  Dana 
was  their  leader,  not  only  in  first  embracing  the  idea,  but 
in  abundant,  painstaking,  detail  work  on  the  phenomena 
in  New  England. 

If  time  permitted,  we  might  take  up  many  other 
subjects  which  he  touched  only  to  illuminate,  subjects 
which  in  his  mode  of  handling  showed  that  rare  com- 
bination of  original  thought  and  painstaking,  detailed 
work  which  characterized  him  in  so  remarkable  a  degree. 
We  can  barely  allude  to  his  work  on  the  vexed  "  Taconic 
question,"  which  he,  assisted  by  Walcott  and  others,  con- 
tributed so  largely  to  clear  up ;  also  to  his  work  on  the 
difficult  question  of  metamorphism,  to  which  he  devoted 
much  thought  and  careful  work  in  the  field. 


260 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE   CLOSE   OF   LIFE 

Advancing  Years — The  Close  of  Life — Tributes  to  his  Memory — Academic 
Honors — The  Copley,  Wollaston,  and  Clarke  Medals,  and  the  Walker 
Prize. 

WITH  advancing  years  the  interest  of  Professor  Dana 
in  the  studies  of  his  lifetime  was  unabated.  His 
walks,  his  books,  his  proof-sheets,  his  correspondence, 
continued  to  occupy  his  time.  He  resorted  to  none  of 
the  modern  devices  for  economizing  strength  by  the  em- 
ployment of  typewriters  or  amanuenses.  His  own  pen 
was  always  on  duty.  He  received  but  few  visits,  and 
rarely  paid  any.  He  avoided  all  excitements.  His  days 
were  serene.  Letters  to  different  members  of  his  family 
reveal  the  same  affectionate  and  considerate  nature  which 
was  shown  in  those  of  his  youth.  Persons  who  have  only 
known  him  at  a  distance,  as  a  man  of  learning,  dignity, 
and  renown,  cannot  fail  to  welcome  the  glimpses  of  his 
private  life  which  are  given  in  two  letters,  of  the  same 
date,  addressed  to  his  absent  grandchildren,  then  very 
young,  when  the  writer  was  more  than  fourscore  years 
of  age. 

TO   HIS   GRANDDAUGHTER 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  Sept.  17,  1893. 

'  MY  DEAR  GRANDDAUGHTER  MAY 

11  I  want  to  thank  you  for  your  good  letter  which  you 
wrote  so  nicely.     It  is  delightful  to  know  that  you  are 

261 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT    DANA 

having  pleasant  boat-rides,  and  walks  in  the  woods,  and 
berryings,  and  keep  Dwight  company  in  hammering  nails 
and  making  all  sorts  of  things. 

"  Going  after  berries  is  grand  sport.  When  a  boy  at 
school,  at  Utica,  I  used  to  go  off  with  other  boys  of  the 
school  on  long  Saturday  walks,  a  large  basket  in  my  hand, 
and  often  bring  home  six  or  eight  quarts  of  splendid  large 
blackberries,  or  strawberries,  or  raspberries.  The  high 
blackberry  bushes  had  thorns,  and  sometimes  gave  my 
hands  a  bad  scratch.  But  I  got  the  berries  and  did  not 
care  much  for  the  scratches. 

"  Your  papa  has  gone  off  a  long  ways  to  take  a  ride  in 
a  boat  and  catch  fish  and  get  bitten  by  the  black  flies. 
But  he  will  soon  be  in  Holderness  again;  and  how  de- 
lighted you  and  Dwightie  and  Mamma  will  be! 

"  Grandma  sends  her  love  to  May  and  will  write  her 
before  long.  She  was  going  to  write  to-day ;  but  as  I  am 
ahead  of  her  in  writing  you,  she  will  probably  put  it  off 
for  a  few  days,  as  I  shall  tell  her  I  have  written  you  when 
she  comes  home  from  church.  My  love  too  to  your  good 
Mamma. 

'  Your  affectionate 

1  'GRANDPA  DANA/' 

TO  HIS  GRANDSON 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  Sept.  17,  1893. 

1 1 

"  MY  DEAR  GRANDSON,  JAMES  DWIGHT  DANA: 

"  I  was  glad  to  receive  your  two  good  letters  having 
your  name  written  by  yourself  at  the  end.  They  showed 
that  you  were  learning  as  well  as  growing  up  in  Holder- 
ness. 

"  Those  naughty  black  flies !  But  I  suppose  they  were 
very  hungry,  and  knew  your  papa  was  good  to  eat,  and 
so  flew  right  at  him  the  first  chance.  I  remember  one 
time,  when  I  was  aboard  a  ship  at  an  island  in  the  ocean, 
the  flies  came  in  such  crowds  that  at  dinner  they  made  the 
table  look  black,  all  the  dishes  being  covered  thickly  with 
them.  But  they  went  off  as  soon  as  the  sun  was  down. 
But  then,  as  it  began  to  grow  dark,  mosquitoes  came  in 
crowds,  hungry  for  blood,  and  they  kept  at  us  all  night 
long  until  daylight.  Then  the  flies  came  back  again. 

262 


i 


GLIMPSES    OF   HOME   LIFE 

To  get  rid  of  the  flies  and  mosquitoes,  the  ship  sailed  out 
on  the  ocean  away  from  the  island,  where  the  winds  were 
blowing  strong;  and  as  soon  as  a  fly  or  mosquito  showed 
itself  on  deck  where  the  wind  could  reach  it,  the  wind 
carried  it  off ;  and  so  in  one  day  they  were  all  drowned 
in  the  ocean.  We  were  real  glad  to  be  rid  of  them. 

"  So  you  find  the  geological  hammer  good  also  '  for 
driving  nails.'  Your  papa  is  very  kind  to  give  you  all  the 
nails  you  want.  You  tell  me  that  you  have  again  begun 
to  collect  stamps :  and  here  is  a  lot  from  Aunt  Amy  for 
your  collection." 

Here  are  two  letters,  of  a  still  later  date,  addressed  to 
his  eldest  son,  who  was  then  absent,  with  his  wife,  on  a 
rest-tour. 

TO   EDWARD   S.    DANA,  IN  ALGIERS 
A  Birthday  Celebrated 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  Feb.  12,  1894. 

'  Your  most  gratifying  birthday  greeting  reached  here 
Saturday,  the  loth,  which  is  a  wonderfully  close  hit  con- 
sidering your  distance  off.  The  day  has  now  come,  and 
I  find  myself  in  good  condition.  The  morning's  mail  has 
brought  in  the  package  of  photogravures,  which  we  have 
all  enjoyed  very  much,  and  another  of  your  always  ex- 
cellent letters.  .  .  .  You  see  I  keep  plodding  on. 
Williams  takes  off  all  Journal  work,  and  does  well  his 
editorial  duty.  Geology  controls  the  most  of  my  thoughts, 
night  and  day ;  and  yet  they  are  often  with  you  and  your 
good  wife  in  your  African  home,  rejoicing  that  the  climate 
and  the  beauties  of  the  border  of  the  tropics  are  giving 
you  happiness  and  real  improvement.  Then  starts  up  the 
wish  that  you  were  well  now  and  back  again.  It  is  a 
satisfaction  for  me  to  know  that  you  have  not  been  as  far 
down  as  I  was  in  1859-60,  when  conversation  with  any 
one  was  a  burden.  An  evening  with  Des  Cloizeaux,  in 
Paris,  on  my  first  arrival  there  in  '59,  was  a  severe  trial  to 
me,  and  a  backward  stroke. 

'  12  h.  20'.  After  all,  even  Biskra  is  only  a  few  hours 
off,  for  a  message  from  you  has  just  come  in,  gladdening 

263 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT    DANA 

us,  and  making  us  realize  that  we  are  almost  within  speak- 
ing distance. 

"2  h.  P.M.  Dinner  has  passed,  and  here  comes  in 
Dwightie,  the  beautiful  boy,  with  two  big  boxes  of  flowers 
for  grandpa's  birthday — one  from  May,  full  of  the  largest 
white,  or  rather  creamy,  roses,  and  the  other  from  him, 
containing  two  of  the  grandest  of  red  roses,  the  '  Ameri- 
can Beauties/  on  stems  more  than  a  foot  long.  I  showed 
Dwightie,  the  other  day,  the  mercury  rising  in  a  ther- 
mometer from  the  heat  of  the  register  in  the  dining-room, 
— to  80°,  90°,  100°, — he  himself  giving  these  numbers, 
without  prompting.  Whether  on  returning  to  Elm  street 
he  got  hold  of  a  Bristol  thermometer  and  tried  the  experi- 
ment himself  with  disastrous  results,  I  have  not  heard. 

"  Feb.  1 3th.  Last  night,  in  the  last  of  my  dreams,  I 
tried  to  induce  one  of  my  neighbors  uptown,  having  a 
very  large  property  (I  cannot  recall  the  name  or  place),  to 
allow  me  to  locate  there  one  of  the  largest  of  volcanoes. 
He  thought  a  small  one  would  do.  So  Geology  keeps 
control.  I  was  much  interested  in  all  you  said  about 
Professor  Roscoe.  Professor  Brush  enjoyed  it  too.  I 
have  only  space  to  add  my  message  of  love  to  your  most 
admirable  wife  and  to  yourself,  along  with  my  earnest 
wishes  for  continued  improvement." 

TO  THE  SAME,    IN  ALGIERS 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  April  22,  1894. 

"  All  are  in  good  condition  in  the  two  homes.  May  is 
making  her  first  visit  out  of  town  with  a  schoolmate,  as 
you  will  no  doubt  hear  from  Elm  street.  Dwight  was  to 
have  special  entertainment  during  her  absence,  but  what 
I  have  not  heard.  He  looked  quite  like  a  schoolboy  the 
other  day,  he  having  his  slate  with  him  when  he  came  to 
see  us,  and  some  of  his  writing  on  it — very  well  written, 
too.  I  introduced  him,  two  or  three  weeks  since,  to  the 
foot-rule  and  yardstick;  after  marking  his  height  on  the 
side  of  the  doorway  between  the  study  and  library,  I 
took  the  foot-rule  to  measure  with,  and  saying  to  him, 
'  There  is  twe'lve  inches/ — then  '  another  twelve/ — I 
asked  him  how  much  that  made,  and  he  instantly  re- 
plied, '  Twenty-four/  I  concluded  he  had  learned  some- 

264 


THE   APPROACHING   END 

thing  even  if  he  had  been  only  to  the  kindergarten,  where 
they  don't  teach  arithmetic. 

"  My  work — the  Geology — makes  progress  as  fast  as  is 
well  for  me ;  only  three  hours  a  day  is  a  wasteful  use  of 
the  twelve  hours  of  daylight,  but  it  accomplishes  some- 
thing. It  is  a  gratification  to  me  that  I  can  get  willing 
help  from  all  the  working  geologists,  young  and  old  ;  but 
to  keep  up  the  correspondence  and  digest  and  introduce 
all  the  new  or  changed  facts  that  come  in  requires  labor 
that  seems  endless  when  restricted  to  so  brief  a  part  of 
each  day." 

The  shadows  lengthened, — but  they  brought  no  gloom. 
To  the  vision  of  Dana  the  night  was  bright  and  not  dark, 
the  sky  was  set  with  stars  and  not  covered  with  clouds. 
As  he  looked  backward  and  then  looked  forward  the 
words  of  Blanco  White  might  have  fallen  from  his  lips : 

Who  could  have  thought  such  darkness  lay  concealed 
Within  thy  beams,  O  Sun  !  or  who  could  find, 

Whilst  fly  and  leaf  and  insect  stood  revealed, 

That  to  such  countless  orbs  thou  mad'st  us  blind  ! 

He  rarely  spoke  of  his  advancing  years,  but  once  to  his 
old  friend  (Prof.  J.  P.  Lesley  of  Philadelphia)  he  wrote 
as  follows: 

"NEW  HAVEN,  Nov.  5,  1893. 

"  A  recent  note  from  Mr.  Walcott  tells  me  that  you 
have  been  very  ill  for  some  months.  It  grieves  me  much 
to  hear  such  news  about  you.  For  one  who  has  hardly 
known  sickness  it  is  the  greater  trial,  and  especially  as 
age  lessens  hope.  Then,  so  much  work  remains  un- 
finished ! 

"  But  it  is  a  source  of  great  satisfaction  to  you  that  your 
ever-active  mind  and  body  have  made  so  much  of  the 
passing  years.  I  was  yesterday  reading  your  name  con- 
nected with  some  geological  observations  in  the  proofs  of 
my  Geology,  and  a  later  proof  will  have  a  notice  of  your 
small  topographical  map  of  Pennsylvania,  along  with  a 

265 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

copy  of  the  map,  as  large  as  the  page.  The  map  is  a 
very  instructive  one,  orographically,  and  especially  as 
regards  the  Appalachian  region. 

"  I,  too,  feel  age  encroaching  on  old  privileges.  I  used 
to  have  a  spring  in  my  walk,  and  get  delight  out  of  it. 
But  for  a  little  over  a  month,  owing  to  a  weakening  of 
some  strings,  my  heart  has  compelled  me  to  take  what  I 
should  before  have  called  a  creeping  gait.  Such  en- 
croachments are  reminders  that  the  end  is  coming.  But 
it  will  be  peace,  rest,  and,  I  believe,  joy  unending.  Life 
were  worth  living  if  it  were  only  for  the  end." 

The  end  of  that  man  was  peace.  He  continued  his 
work  until  almost  the  last  day.  Final  proofs  of  one  of  his 
books  had  been  read  and  corrected.  Four  brief  notices 
from  his  pen  appeared  in  the  March  number  of  the  Jour- 
nal of  Science.  A  letter  to  Mr.  Frank  Leverett  (on  the 
work  of  the  wind  in  moving  sand  and  pebbles)  was  dated 
April  1 2th.*  On  that  same  day  the  venerable  student 

*  An  extract  from  this  letter  is  here  given,  to  show  the  clearness  of  the 
worker's  mind  until  the  very  last.  It  is  quoted  from  the  Journal  of 
Geology : 

"  With  regard  to  the  eolian  work  along  valley  plains,  I  think  great  cau- 
tion is  necessary,  because  eolian  work  is  of  a  fitful  kind.  The  more  power- 
ful winds  blow  in  gusts,  or  rather  a  succession  of  them,  and  each  of  the 
gusts  is  of  rather  narrow  limit ;  and  in  each  gust  great  velocity  is  succeeded 
by  a  decline  in  which  the  depositions  vary  accordingly  as  to  coarse  and  fine 
and  limit.  Making  loess — unstratified — by  the  winds  would  require  a  steady 
breeze  sufficient  to  move  the  light  earth  or  sand  long  in  a  common  direc- 
tion, but  too  near  unvarying  in  force  or  velocity  to  produce  alternations  from 
coarse  to  fine.  It  is  an  even  kind  of  work  that  winds  are  not  often  fit  for. 
They  heap  up  at  the  slightest  provocation,  strike  the  ground  and  glance  off 
when  of  greatest  force.  It  takes  something  of  a  breeze  to  even  start  the 
dust  of  a  road.,  because  the  dust  is  two  thousand  times  heavier  than  the  air 
and  the  air  near  the  ground  slips  over  the  surface  readily  without  disturbing 
it.  Excuse  me  for  thus  discoursing  on  wind  work. 

"Do  you  know  what  is  the  size  of  the  largest  pebbles  taken  up  by  a 
storm  wind  from  a  level  surface  and  carried,  as  it  carries  sand,  for  a  few 
yards  ?  The  houses  in  the  track  of  some  of  the  great  Western  gales  must 
have  windows  sometimes  broken  in  this  way ;  and  perhaps  their  owners,  if 
reliable,  could  give  some  facts  worth  knowing." 

266 


DEATH 

walked  out  as  usual,  with  no  indications  of  increasing  in- 
firmities. On  Saturday,  the  I3th,  he  did  not  feel  as  well 
as  usual,  and  on  Sunday  he  kept  his  bed.  In  the  evening 
signs  of  exhaustion  came  on,  and  before  a  physician  could 
reach  him,  life  had  departed.  This  was  on  April  14,  1895, 
when  he  was  eighty-two  years  and  two  months  old.  The 
Wednesday  following  he  was  borne  to  his  grave  in  the  old 
cemetery  on  Grove  street,  in  New  Haven,  the  bier  being 
followed  by  kindred,  colleagues,  neighbors,  students,  and 
by  some  of  his  friends  from  a  distance,  religious  services 
having  been  held  at  his  house. 

The  posthumous  tributes  that  were  paid  to  this  great 
naturalist  were  numerous.  His  elder  son,  colleague  and 
successor  in  the  editorial  chair,  published  at  once  an  out- 
line of  the  father's  life,  so  complete  and  satisfactory  that 
subsequent  notices  have  been  based  upon  it, — the  filling 
in  of  his  skilful  sketch.  Dr.  Hunger,  pastor  of  the 
United  church  in  New  Haven,  a  few  days  after  the 
funeral  preached  a  discourse  on  the  "  Creation,"  and 
concluded  with  an  extended  eulogy  of  one  who  had 
been  a  lifelong  student  of  nature.  The  American 
Oriental  Society,  in  session  at  New  Haven,  the  day 
before  the  funeral  passed  resolutions  recognizing  the 
value  of  Dana's  contributions  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
Orient.  His  name  was  naturally  associated  with  that  of 
the  distinguished  philologist,  Professor  Whitney,  who 
had  died  in  New  Haven  a  few  months  previous.  Presi- 
dent Dwight,  in  a  discourse  at  Commencement,  eulogized 
the  two  careers.  The  Yale  Alumni  Association  of  New 
York  adopted  a  minute  commemorating  both  scholars  in 
terms  of  admiration  and  gratitude.*  The  scientific  jour- 
nals, far  and  near,  and  the  scientific  societies  of  Europe 
and  America  recorded  their  reverence  and  respect.  The 
Brooklyn  Institute  held  a  public  meeting  to  rehearse  the 

*  Judge  Rowland  presided  and  the  minute  was  presented  by  Hon.  D.  H. 
Chamberlain. 

267 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

distinctions  of  one  of  their  earliest  associate  members, — 
and  the  discourse  that  was  then  delivered  by  Professor 
H.  S.  Williams  was  soon  given  to  the  press.  Before  the 
Geological  Society  of  America,  Professor  Joseph  Le 
Conte,  of  the  University  of  California,  presented  an  ad- 
mirable analysis  of  Dana's  intellectual  qualities,  and  of 
his  diverse  contributions  to  knowledge.  Few  men  are  so 
competent  as  this  gifted  writer,  a  geologist  and  zoologist, 
to  weigh  and  estimate  the  merits  and  services  of  his  older 
friend,  and  from  his  memoir  copious  extracts  have  been 
made  in  the  pages  of  this  biography.*  At  a  meeting  of 
the  Academy  of  Sciences  in  Paris,  on  the  6th  of  May,  M. 
Blanchard,  who  had  reviewed  the  geological  works  of 
Dana  at  the  time  of  his  election  as  a  correspondent  of 
the  Academy,  again  called  attention  to  the  Exploration 
Reports ;  and  M.  Daubr£e,  in  a  fresher  and  more  extended 
notice,  reviewed  the  contributions  of  his  American  col- 
league to  the  sciences  of  mineralogy  and  geology. 

The  corps  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey  ad- 
dressed to  Mrs.  Dana  the  following  note : 

"WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  April  23,  1895. 

"  DEAR  MADAM  : 

'  We  desire  to  convey  to  you  the  expression  of  our 
deepest  sympathy  in  the  bereavement  which  you  suffer  at 
the  death  of  your  distinguished  husband,  Professor  Dana. 

"  As  his  pupils,  colleagues,  and  friends,  we  share  in 
your  sorrow,  realizing  that  a  leader  of  lifelong  experience 
and  tried  ability  has  been  taken  from  us. 

"  His  prolonged  and  comprehensive  labors  in  behalf  of 
science,  his  long  service  as  a  teacher,  and  the  influence 
of  his  published  works  place  him  in  the  foremost  rank  of 
geologists  of  the  world.  There  is  no  geologist  better 
known ;  there  is  none  other  to  whom  so  many  owe  the 
inspiration  and  guidance  which  lead  to  success.  But 
though  scientists  the  world  over  mourn  his  loss,  they  re- 
joice, as  we  feel  sure  he  did,  in  the  completion  of  his 

*  See  the  preceding  chapter. 
268 


TRIBUTES   TO   HIS   MEMORY 

latest  work,  which  will  always  stand  as  a  monument  to 
the  breadth  of  his  knowledge  and  to  his  devotion  to 
geology.  It  is  a  fitting  culmination  of  a  great  career. 

"In  grateful  appreciation  of  the  value  of  Professor 
Dana's  life-work,  and  with  earnest  sympathy  for  yourself, 

"  We  remain  yours, 

"CHAS.  D.  WALCOTT,         ARTHUR  KEITH, 
G.  K.  GILBERT,  J.  W.  POWELL, 

S.  F.  EMMONS,  G.  F.  BECKER, 

ARNOLD  HAGUE,  W.  J.  McGEE, 

BAILEY  WILLIS,  C.  WILLARD  HAYES, 

J.  S.  DILLER,  ROBT.  T.  HILL, 

GEO.  H.  ELDRIDGE,         N.  H.  DARTON, 
WALTER  H.  WEED,  DAVID  T.  DAY, 

W.  LINDGREN,  CHARLES  SCHUCHERT, 

F.  H.  NEWELL,  T.  W.  STANTON, 

M.  R.  CAMPBELL,  DAVID  WHITE, 

F.  W.  CLARKE,  F.  H.  KNOWLTON, 

W.  F.  HlLLEBRAND,  LESTER  F.  WARD, 

H.  N.  STOKES,  WM.  H.  DALL, 

WHITMAN  CROSS." 

Of  the  many  expressions  of  affection  and  respect  which 
were  received  by  Mrs.  Dana  and  her  son  Edward,  a  few 
only  can  be  given  here. 

FROM  SIR  JOSEPH  PRESTWICH  TO   MRS.    DANA 

"  DARENT-HOLME,  SHOREHAM,  SEVENOAKS,  April  30,   1895. 

"  It  was  with  the  deepest  regret  that  I  heard  of  the  ir- 
reparable loss  you  had  sustained  in  the  death  of  your  dis- 
tinguished husband.  He  was  my  near  contemporary,  I 
being  not  quite  a  year  older.  We  never  met,  but  I  seem 
to  have  known  him  in  consequence  of  our  correspondence, 
and  the  interest  I  took  in  his  work,  and  his  brilliant  career 
as  a  geologist.  He  was  long  the  Doyen  of  American 
geologists,  and  his  loss  will  be  deeply  mourned  on  this 
side  of  the  Atlantic." 

FROM   SIR  ARCHIBALD    GEIKIE   TO   MRS.  DANA 

"  28  JERMYN  STREET,  LONDON,  S.  W.,  6th  May,  1895. 

"  Will  you  accept  my  sincere  sympathy  in  the  sorrow 
which  has  fallen  upon  you  and  yours,  and  which  no  words 

269 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

from  strangers  across  the  sea  can  in  any  way  lessen?  Yet 
it  may  be  some  consolation  to  you  to  know  how  deeply 
and  widely  your  husband  was  beloved  and  admired,  and 
how  truly  we  feel,  wherever  science  is  cultivated,  that 
one  of  our  great  masters  has  passed  away. 

"  For  myself,  I  have  more  than  the  common  regret,  for 
I  have  seen  him  personally  in  his  own  home  and  have 
learnt  how  he  brightened  that  home,  and  how  lovingly 
and  tenderly  he  was  watched  over  there.  I  have  been 
with  him  in  the  field  and  have  had  the  geological  features 
of  his  home  pointed  out  to  me  in  his  characteristic  en- 
thusiastic way.  I  have  had  many  kindly  letters  from 
him.  And  thus  I  feel  that  a  dear  personal  friend  has 
been  lost  to  me. 

"  Most  truly  do  I  share  in  this  grief,  for  I  have  learnt 
to  know  something  of  the  tenderness,  sympathy,  and 
simple-mindedness  which  underlay  those  high  mental 
gifts  which  we  all  so  reverenced  and  admired." 

FROM  PROFESSOR  JOHN  W.    JUDD  TO   PROFESSOR 
E.    S.    DANA 

"  16  CUMBERLAND  ROAD,  KEW,  28th  April,  1895. 

"  Allow  me  to  express  to  you  the  profound  sympathy 
I  feel  for  your  mother,  yourself,  and  all  the  members  of 
your  family  in  the  great  loss  you  have  sustained.  All 
that  memory  of  the  universal  admiration  and  esteem  in- 
spired by  him  who  is  lost  can  do  to  assuage  the  bitter- 
ness-of  your  grief,  is  assuredly  yours.  Bound  as  we  are 
by  ties  of  language  and  consanguinity,  I  believe  that  the 
news  of  your  father's  death  has  produced  as  great  a  shock 
in  the  scientific  world  of  Old  England  as  it  has  done  in 
New  England. 

'  Though  it  was  never  my  good  fortune  to  have  had 
the  opportunity  of  grasping  your  father's  hand,  yet  fre- 
quent correspondence  has  made  me  so  familiar  with  the 
sweetness  and  generosity  of  his  nature,  with  his  untiring 
energy,  his  devotion  to  science,  and  his  love  of  truth, 
that  I  feel  that  I  have  lost  in  him  a  warm  personal  friend. 
In  America  he  must  have  occupied  a  place  like  that  filled 
by  Darwin  in  this  country,  and  geologists  and  mineralo- 
gists all  over  the  world  will  feel  that  the  greatest  of  all 
the  masters  of  our  science  has  now  passed  away." 

270 


JAMES   D.    DANA 
February,  1895.     In  his  S^d  Year 


TRIBUTES   TO    HIS   MEMORY 

FROM  BENJAMIN  D.    SILLIMAN  TO  MRS.    DANA 

"56  CLINTON  STREET,  BROOKLYN,  April  18,  1895. 

"  I  was  most  unwillingly  absent  from  your  sad  circle* 
yesterday.  No  hindrance  less  than  that  of  a  ninetieth 
year  and  a  disabling  cold  would  have  prevented  my  being 
with  you. 

"  Our  dear  friend  was  fitter  for  the  world  to  which  he 
has  gone  than  for  a  longer  stay  in  this.  We  who  remain 
ought  to  be  grateful  that  such  almost  boundless  know- 
ledge and  wisdom  and  goodness  were  accorded  to  him 
here — and  that  his  transit  from  earth  to  heaven  was,  like 
that  of  your  blessed  father,  translation  rather  than  death. 
His  was  indeed  a  most  useful  and  honored  life.  History 
records  the  names  of  few,  if  any,  who  have  so  enlarged 
the  bounds  of  science  and  deserved  and  received  so 
largely  the  grateful  plaudits  of  the  most  learned,  the 
wisest,  and  the  highest  of  their  fellow-men.  None  but 
a  very  great  mind  could  have  deserved  and  received 
such  rare  honors  and  borne  them  with  such  simplicity — 
with  such  entire  absence  of  vanity  or  even  of  observable 
elation.  I  have  long  regarded  him  as  a  very  great  as  well 
as  a  very  good  man." 

FROM   HENRY  WOODWARD,  PRESIDENT   OF  THE   GEOLO- 
GICAL SOCIETY   OF   LONDON,    TO   MRS.    DANA 

"  GEOLOGICAL  SOCIETY,  BURLINGTON  HOUSE, 
"  W.  LONDON,  8th  May,  1895. 

"  On  behalf  of  the  Council  of  the  Geological  Society  of 
London,  I  am  desired  to  transmit  to  you  the  following 
resolution,  passed  this  day : 

'  The  President  and  Council  of  the  Geological  Society 
of  London  have  learnt  with  deep  regret  the  decease  of 
their  distinguished  fellow-geologist,  Professor  James 
Dwight  Dana,  LL.D,  Ph.D.,  A.M.,  who  for  forty-four 
years  was  a  Foreign  Member  of  the  Society,  and  was  a 
recipient  of  the  Wollaston  Medal  in  1872,  the  highest 
honor  which  the  Society  has  in  its  power  to  bestow. 
They  desire  to  place  on  record  their  profound  sense  of 
the  loss  which  the  sciences  of  Geology  and  Mineralogy 

271 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

have  sustained  by  the  death  of  Professor  Dana,  who  has 
so  largely  contributed  to  establish  these  sciences  not  only 
in  America,  but  also  in  Europe,  and  who,  as  editor  of  the 
American  journal  of  Science,  has  kept  alive  for  years  an 
active  interest  in  all  branches  of  natural  science  both  at 
home  and  abroad.  The  President  and  Council  desire  to 
convey  to  Mrs.  Dana  and  her  son  their  heartfelt  sympathy 
with  them  on  the  irreparable  loss  that  they  have  suffered.' 
"  Yours  very  faithfully, 

"  HENRY  WOODWARD, 

14  President." 
FROM  W.    FORSTER  HEDDLE 

"ST.  ANDREWS,  SCOTLAND,  May  18,  1895. 

"  I  thank  you  much  for  having  sent  me  the  notice  of 
your  illustrious  father.  I  have  for  years  considered  him 
to  be,  taking  him  all  round,  the  first  mineralogist  in  the 
world — especially  as  a  diffuser  of  mineralogical  know- 
ledge through  his  unrivalled  Systems  of  Mineralogy. 
The  advantage  which  I  myself  have  derived  from  these 
works,  as  regards  such  knowledge  as  I  have,  is  not  to  be 
told.  I  always  went  to  them  as  to  a  haven  to  cast  my 
anchor  in,  and  know  where  I  was.  His  views  regarding 
certain  rocks  so  nearly,  if  not  absolutely,  corresponded 
with  my  own  that  I  have  been  in  the  habit,  in  discussions 
with  some  members  of  our  Geological  Society,  of  shaking 
your  father's  pages  in  their  faces,  as  it  were. 

"  I  have  never,  also,  forgotten — I  can  never  forget — the 
kindly  and  the  interested  way  in  which  he  expressed  him- 
self to  me  on  the  few  occasions  upon  which  I  corresponded 
with  him.  I  am  very  sorry  that  I  did  so  little — but  I  am 
a  bad  correspondent,  and  when  I  thought  of  the  immense 
amount  of  the  work  which  he  must  have  undertaken  in 
keeping  his  Systems  up  to  date,  I  did  not  like  to  claim  a 
moment  of  his  time.  I  also  thank  you  for  that  likeness 
— it  is  a  noble  head,  has  a  grand  carriage,  and  the  sparkle 
of  the  eye  is  wonderful." 

FROM   DONALD   G.    MITCHELL,  ESQ. 

"  EDGEWOOD,  April  17,  1895. 

"  I  cannot  forbear  adding  my  word  of  condolence  to 
those  which  must  have  come  to  you  from  so  many. 

272 


FROM   HIS   YALE   COLLEAGUES 

When  we  were  gathering  those  buttercups — so  little  time 
ago — for  the  '  golden  wedding,'  who  would  have  believed 
(we  surely  did  not)  that  before  the  next  gathering  of 
spring  flowers  the  golden  life  itself  would  be  ended  ? 

"  It  was  certainly  a  beautiful  life ;  and  we  are  told  that 
the  end  was  as  beautiful.  What  better  has  the  world  to 
give  ?  " 

Personal  expressions  of  friendship  and  admiration  had 
reached  Mr.  Dana  while  he  was  growing  old.  One  of 
the  most  gratifying,  because  it  came  from  those  who 
knew  him  best,  was  a  letter  addressed  to  him,  on  his 
eightieth  birthday,  by  some  of  his  older  colleagues  in 
the  university  to  which  the  latter  half  of  his  life  was  de- 
voted. It  was  published  after  his  death  by  his  friend 
Professor  Fisher,  to  whose  pen  it  may  be  attributed. 
After  rehearsing  the  grounds  of  Dana's  exceptional  emi- 
nence, the  letter  concludes  with  these  words: 

"It  is  gratifying  to  know  that  your  services  to  the 
cause  of  science  have  obtained  full  recognition  from 
teachers  and  students  of  science  and  from  learned  bodies 
in  all  civilized  countries.  None  will  question  that  the 
honors  which  have  thus  been  so  abundantly  bestowed 
and  so  modestly  received  are  well  deserved.  The  con- 
sciousness that  the  motive  of  your  researches  has  been  an 
unalloyed  love  of  truth  and  an  unselfish  desire  to  enlarge 
the  bounds  of  human  knowledge  must  give  to  these  testi- 
monials all  the  value  that  such  marks  of  honor  can  ever 
possess. 

'  We  congratulate  you  that  your  academic  relations 
both  with  fellow-professors  and  with  pupils  have  been  so 
uniformly  pleasant.  The  classes  which,  in  long  succes- 
sion, have  listened  to  your  instructions,  could  their 
voices  be  heard,  would  unite  in  expressions  of  sincere 
respect  both  for  the  qualities  of  character  and  for  the 
talents  and  learning  of  their  revered  instructor.  But  it 
is  no  part  of  our  purpose  to  enter  into  a  detailed  state- 
ment of  the  reasons  which  render  it  peculiarly  agreeable 
for  us,  your  old  friends  and  neighbors,  to  offer  to  you  to- 
day our  heartfelt  congratulations.  Had  it  been  thought 

18  273 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT    DANA 

worth  while  to  extend  the  list  of  subscribers  to  this  let- 
ter, no  doubt  all  the  members  of  the  teaching  body  in 
the  University  would  gladly  have  added  their  names. 
But  our  communication  is  simply  intended  as  an  expres- 
sion, from  a  few  of  your  older  associates,  of  interest  in 
this  anniversary  and  of  our  earnest  hope  that  the  blessing 
of  a  kind  Providence  may  continue  to  be  with  you  and 
with  the  members  of  your  family." 

The  testimonial  was  signed  by  Timothy  Dwight,  George 
E.  Day,  George  P.  Fisher,  George  J.  Brush,  William  H. 
Brewer,  O.  C.  Marsh,  Franklin  B.  Dexter,  Edward  E. 
Salisbury,  William  D.  Whitney,  Hubert  A.  Newton, 
Samuel  W.  Johnson,  Daniel  C.  Eaton,  A.  E.  Verrill, 
Addison  Van  Name,  Sidney  I.  Smith. 

Here  are  two  letters  of  an  earlier  date,  characteristic  of 
two  lifelong  friends : 

FROM   DR.    S.    WELLS   WILLIAMS  AND  A   REPLY 

"SHANGHAI,  CHINA,  Oct.  n,  1872. 

"  MY  DEAR  OLD  FRIEND  JAMES: 

"  I  am  going  to  make  this  piece  of  Chinese  art,  this 
snuff-bottle  of  a  kind  of  chalcedony  called  here  '  lamp- 
wick  agate,'  worth  more  than  ever  it  was  before  by  pre- 
senting it  to  you  as  a  birthday  present  on  your  sixtieth 
birthday.*  It  won't  contain  half  of  my  good  wishes  and 
prayers  for  your  happiness  and  usefulness  here  and  here- 
after, but  you  may  look  upon  each  of  the  pretty  spiculae 
fossilized  in  it  as  possessing  an  individual  representation 
of  the  pleasant  remembrance  I  have  of  our  lifelong 
friendship. 

"  May  God's  abiding  presence  and  love  go  with  you 
all  the  days  He  has  work  for  you  to  do  here,  and  receive 
you  then,  with  your  affectionate 

"S.  W.  W." 

*The  bottle  was  placed  in  the  Peabody  Museum,  1881.  The  birth- 
day was  February  12,  1873. 

274 


FROM    HIS    FRIENDS   IN   WASHINGTON 
.     TO  S.    WELLS  WILLIAMS 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  April  13,  1873. 
"MY  DEAR  OLD   SCHOOLMATE: 

"  Your  affectionate  birthday  greeting — the  sixtieth 
birthday ! — met  with  most  cordial  response  in  my  heart,  if 
not  followed  by  an  immediate  return  of  messages.  I  have 
never  failed,  as  each  year  has  passed,  to  recognize  with 
gratitude  the  goodness  from  above  that  gave  us  Christian 
homes  on  the  same  street  in  the  same  pleasant  Christian 
city,  where  Sunday-schools  were  a  delight,  and  other 
Christian  influences  pointed  heavenward.  Thence  we 
have  journeyed  on  through  threescore  years — and  in  re- 
gions widely  distant,  as  distances  are  measured  on  earth, 
and  yet,  on  that  heavenward  way,  not  far  apart.  Your 
words  at  least  make  me  feel  that  we  are  near,  and  nearer 
than  ever  before.  I  have  not  had,  any  more  than  your- 
self, sad  years  to  look  back  upon,  not  even  days  that 
seemed  dark  and  gloomy,  for  the  world  has  been  full  of 
delights,  and  the  future  full  of  delightful  prospects,  even 
when  health  seemed  to  be  failing.  And  still  I  labor  on 
rejoicing — doubting  if  this  year  may  not  be  the  last  to  a 
long-tired  head — yet  rejoicing  in  my  home  here,  and  in 
the  work  which  my  hands  and  head  find  to  do,  and  also 
in  bright  views  of  that  upper  home  toward  which  earth 
converges.  Your  beautiful  gift,  mineralogically  interest- 
ing as  well  as  beautiful,  was  most  acceptable  and  has  been 
much  admired.  I  need  not  say  that  I  greatly  value  it." 

From  a  number  of  his  scientific  friends  in  Washington 
this  letter  came  on  the  golden-wedding  day  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Dana,  June  5,  1894. 

FROM   HIS   SCIENTIFIC   FRIENDS   IN  WASHINGTON 

"  To  Professor  Dana,  Nestor  of  American  geologists, 
and  to  his  faithful  helpmate  for  fifty  years,  his  Washing- 
ton pupils,  admirers,  and  followers  send  greetings  on  this 
their  golden-wedding  day.  Few  reach  this  golden  mile- 
post,  still  fewer  pass  it.  Among  these  very  few,  Pro- 
fessor Dana,  still  at  work,  impresses  us  profoundly  with 

275 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

the  debt  which  geology  owes  to  him.  Our  congratula- 
tions are  for  the  pupils  who  have  had  such  a  master,  but 
our  admiration  and  veneration  are  for  the  master !  May 
his  lifelong  pursuit,  so  ardently,  so  diligently,  so  per- 
sistently followed,  not  cease  to  interest  and  solace  him  as 
the  evening  shadows  draw  on,  is  the  heartfelt  wish  of  all. 
SIMON  NEWCOMB,  CHARLES  SCHUCHERT, 

S.  F.  EMMONS,  R.  L.  PACKARD, 

CHAS.  D.  WALCOTT,  LESTER  F.  WARD, 

G.  K.  GILBERT,  FRANK  H.  KNOWLTON, 

BAILEY  WILLIS,  T.  W.  STANTON, 

G.  BROWN  GOODE,  E.  W.  PARKER, 

ROBERT  T.  HILL,  DAVID  T.  DAY, 

JAMES  C.  PILLING,  GEO.  P.  MERRILL, 

WHITMAN  CROSS,  CARL  BARUS, 

HENRY  GANNETT,  F.  W.  CLARKE, 

H.  M.  WILSON,  GARRICK  MALLERY, 

J.  S.  DILLER,  J.  L.  EASTMAN, 

N.  H.  DARTON,  Jos.  C.  HORNBLOWER, 

MARCUS  BAKER,  EDWIN  E.  HOWELL, 

CHAS.  WILLARD  HAYES,      THOMAS  M.  CHATARD, 
and  all  the  other  friends  in  Washington,  if  they  could 
only  be  caught  to  sign  the  paper." 

Throughout  his  later  life  academic  honors  had  been 
abundant.  Amherst  College,  the  home  of  the  geologist 
of  the  Connecticut  valley,  President  Edward  Hitchcock, 
conferred  upon  him  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Laws  in  1853,  before  he  entered  upon  the  professorship 
at  Yale.  He  was  admitted  to  the  like  distinction  at  Har- 
vard in  1886,  and  at  Edinburgh  in  1889.  From  Munich, 
in  1872,  he  received  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Philosophy.  Among  the  foreign  academies  to  which  he 
was  elected  were  these :  the  Royal  Societies  of  London 
and  Edinburgh  and  Dublin,  the  Academy  of  Sciences  in 
the  Institute  of  France,  the  Imperial  and  Royal  Acad- 
emies of  St.  Petersburg,  Vienna,  Berlin,  Gottingen, 
Munich,  Stockholm,  Buda-Pesth,  and  the  Royal  Lincei 
of  Rome.  One  of  the  earliest  of  such  honors  was  an 
election  to  the  Soci6t6  Philomathique  in  Paris.  From 
his  own  countrymen  the  like  recognition  came — at  Boston, 

276 


ACADEMIC   HONORS 

New  York,  Philadelphia,  Washington,  and  Brooklyn. 
In  a  letter  to  Mr.  Winthrop,  who  had  inquired  about  one 
of  these  distinctions,  Dana  wrote:  "  I  have  the  gratifying 
reflection  as  regards  all  the  honors  I  have  received,  (which 
include  foreign  membership  in  each  of  the  prominent 
Royal  Societies  or  Academies  of  the  nations  of  Europe, 
except  those  of  London  *  and  Madrid),  I  had  never  ex- 
pressed to  any  one  a  wish  or  hope, — not  even  to  my  wife." 
In  1854,  he  was  President  of  the  American  Association 
for  the  Advancement  of  Science ;  and  later,  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences. 

On  several  occasions  Dana  was  the  recipient  of  distinc- 
tions still  more  personal.  The  Copley  Medal,  awarded 
by  the  Council  of  the  Royal  Society  of  London  once  a 
year,  is  sometimes  called  "  the  blue  ribbon  of  science," 
because  it  is  given  to  a  student  of  any  country  who  has 
shown  extraordinary  ability  and  attainments  in  any 
branch  of  science.  Consequently  the  list  of  the  laureati 
includes  most  of  the  original  investigators  of  the  last  half- 
century.  Sylvester  and  Newcomb  are  among  those  who 
have  received  this  distinction.  This  medal  came  to  Dana 
in  1877.  Sir  Joseph  Hooker,  the  President  of  the  So- 
ciety, wrote  to  him  that  the  Royal  Society  bestowed  on 
him  their  highest  honor,  for  his  biological,  geological,  and 
mineralogical  investigations,  carried  on  through  half  a 
century;  and  for  the  valuable  works  in  which  his  con- 
clusions and  discoveries  have  been  published.  It  was  a 
pleasant  incident  of  the  award  that  a  Yale  graduate, 
Hon.  Edwards  Pierrepont,  then  United  States  Minister 
in  England,  received  the  medal  in  behalf  of  his  country- 
man, and,  at  a  subsequent  banquet,  acknowledged  a  toast 
in  honor  of  the  naturalist. 

Five  years  before,  in  1872,  the  Wollaston  Medal  of  the 
Royal  Geological  Society  of  London  had  been  awarded 
to  Dana  for  his  contributions  to  mineralogy  and  geology. 

*  The  fellowship  of  the  Royal  Society  of  London  came  to  him  later. 

277 


LIFE  OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

The  official  announcement  came  to  him  from  David 
Forbes,  and  it  was  accompanied  by  a  private  letter  from 
Henry  Woodward,  of  the  British  Museum,  giving  an  in- 
side view  of  the  circumstances  which  preceded  its  be- 
stowal. He  mentions  that  in  the  three  years  previous, 
Ramsay,  H.  E.  Sorby,  and  Carl  F.  Naumann  had  been 
the  recipients  of  this  honor. 

The  Royal  Society  of  New  South  Wales  awarded  him 
the  Clarke  Memorial  Medal  in  1882. 

A  lofty  peak  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  of  the  Pacific  slope 
bears  the  name  Mount  Dana. 

One  of  the  latest  and  most  gratifying  recognitions  came 
to  Professor  Dana  from  Boston  when  he  was  almost  eighty 
years  old.  In  April,  1892,  a  telegram  brought  him  the 
announcement  that  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History 
would  bestow  upon  him  the  Walker  Prize  of  one  thou- 
sand dollars  for  distinguished  services  in  natural  history. 
This  dispatch  was  followed  by  a  letter  from  the  Presi- 
dent, Dr.  George  L.  Goodale,  of  Harvard,  in  which  he 
congratulated  the  recipient  that  his  scientific  activity, 
covering  a  period  of  more  than  half  a  century,  was  still 
fruitful  in  valuable  results.  "At  a  time  of  life,"  he  con- 
tinues, "  when  many  students  would  seek  release  from 
labor,  you  are  seeking  for  new  problems  to  investigate, 
and  you  maintain  to-day  an  untiring  interest  in  the  first 
subjects  which  commanded  your  attention." 

Dana  replied : 

"  After  a  long  life  of  work,  it  is  a  great  satisfaction  to 
have  words  of  approbation  from  those  that  are  highly 
esteemed  for  their  scientific  learning  and  judgment,  and 
especially  to  have  such  words  made  emphatic  by  so  large 
a  gift.  The  allusion  to  my  labor  in  natural  history  leads 
my  mind  back  to  expedition  days,  and  recalls  the  fact 
that  our  scientific  corps  in  the  Wilkes  Exploring  Expedi- 
tion was  half  Bostonian,  and  now,  when  the  fiftieth  anni- 
versary of  the  return  of  the  expedition  (June  loth),  after 
a  four  years'  cruise,  is  but  a  few  weeks  off,  Boston  Science 

278 


LONGEVITY   OF   NATURALISTS 


sends  me  the  kind  greeting.  Please  assure  the  Commit- 
tee of  the  Society  that  I  warmly  appreciate  the  honor 
conferred  by  the  award  and  thank  them  for  their  words 
of  commendation."  * 

*  The  longevity  of  great  naturalists  is  noteworthy.  With  most  of  those 
named  in  the  following  list  (except  the  first  three,  Linnaeus,  Cuvier  and 
Buffon),  Dana  corresponded.  Only  two  of  the  number  reached  a  more 
advanced  age  than  that  at  which  he  died. 


Linnaeus 1707-1778. . .  .71 

Buffon 1707-1788 81 

Cuvier  . , 1769-1832 63 

Eaton 1776-1842 66 

Berzelius 1779-1848 69 

Silliman 1779-1864. . .  .85 

Lyell 1797-1875.... 78 

Torrey 1798-1873 75 


Milne-Edwards 1800-1885 85 

Agassiz 1807-1873 66 

Guyot 1807-1884 77 

Darwin 1809-1882 73 

Gray 1810-1888 78 

Dana 1813-1895 82 

Huxley 1825-1895 70 

Marsh 1831-1899 68 


3/9 


CHAPTER  XVII 

PERSONAL  APPEARANCE   AND   HABITS:  A   RETROSPECT 

Personal  Appearance — Mode  of  Life — Usual  Occupations  and  Recreations 
—Continuous  Ill-Health. 

NOW  that  we  have  followed  this  long  and  honorable 
career  from  the  nursery  to  the  grave,  an  attempt 
must  be  made  to  draw  a  portrait,  so  that  in  future  years 
those  who  ask  how  such  a  man  appeared  and  what  were 
his  daily  occupations  may  to  some  extent  at  least  be 
gratified.* 

Dana  was  slender  and  not  tall — perhaps  five  feet  nine 
inches  in  height.  All  his  motions  were  quick  and  nervous. 
He  gave  the  impression  of  incessant  energy,  forced  some- 
times to  rest,  but  bounding  back  to  his  work  as  a  ball  re- 
bounds from  the  wall  which  has  interrupted  its  progress. 
His  eyes  were  deep  blue,  and  his  hair,  light  brown  in 
early  life,  was  in  old  age  abundant  gray.  His  face  was 
bright  and  benignant,  and  he  always  had  a  friendly  smile 
for  those  who  came  to  see  him.  His  ways  were  simple 
and  direct,  as  if  he  had  no  time  to  waste  in  ceremony, 
and  his  letters,  in  later  life,  were  brief  and  pointed,  yet 

*  Two  likenesses  are  given  in  this  volume, — one  of  them  the  copy  of  a 
portrait  painted  by  Daniel  Huntington  of  New  York,  in  May,  1857,  when 
Dana  was  invited  to  sit  as  one  of  a  group  of  scientific  men  interested  in  the 
laying  of  the  first  Atlantic  cable  ;  the  other,  a  reproduction  of  the  very 
latest  photograph,  taken  in  1895.  Each  in  its  way  is  satisfactory.  The 
resemblance  of  Dana's  face  to  that  of  Schiller,  as  it  is  represented  in  a  well- 
known  engraving,  has  sometimes  been  noticed.  There  is  a  bas-relief  like- 
ness in  the  Yale  collections. 

280 


PERSONAL   HABITS 

this  rapidity  of  action  never  led  to  the  slightest  dis- 
courtesy, nor  to  the  neglect  of  anything  essential.  His 
manuscripts  for  the  printer  bore  the  marks  of  incessant 
corrections,  and  he  never  hesitated  to  alter  and  cut  at 
pleasure  until  the  word  to  print  was  finally  given.  He 
has  been  heard  to  say,  "  I  cannot  tell  how  a  paragraph 
will  look  until  I  see  it  in  type." 

Dana's  study  was  in  his  dwelling-house.  It  was  a 
bright,  sunny  room  facing  to  the  southwest,  with  a  large 
anteroom  which  served  as  "  a  stack  "  for  such  books  as 
were  not  in  frequent  use.  His  working  apparatus  was 
simple — a  few  instruments,  a  small  cabinet,  a  good  many 
maps,  and  a  library  of  moderate  size,  chiefly  composed 
of  scientific  works.  There  was  a  side  door  to  the  north 
by  which  the  family  maintained  easy  access  to  their  kin- 
dred next  door — an  entrance,  moreover,  by  which  many 
of  those  who  were  accustomed  to  consult  the  editor 
in  his  sanctum  had  the  freest  admission.  They  would 
appear  without  being  announced,  and  their  host,  when 
he  was  well,  would  readily  lay  down  his  pen  and  engage 
in  conversation;  or,  more  frequently,  he  would  proceed 
to  the  correction  of  a  proof-sheet,  or  the  preparation  of  a 
note,  or  the  draughting  of  a  letter  on  some  subject  intro- 
duced by  his  visitors.  He  had  the  art  of  bearing  inter- 
ruptions gracefully  and  of  turning  again  to  his  work  as  if 
nothing  had  occurred.  It  was  his  custom  to  be  his  own 
letter-carrier,  and  two  or  three  times  a  day  he  might  be 
seen  going  to  and  from  the  post-office,  hands,  pockets, 
and  even  hat  filled  with  the  voluminous  mail  that  per- 
tained to  the  Journal  of  Science.  His  library  was  a 
laboratory.  It  overlooked  the  garden  where  he  often 
spent  an  hour  of  repose  in  the  care  of  his  plants  and 
shrubs.  He  was  not  a  buyer  of  many  books,  but  every- 
thing in  his  line  seemed  naturally  to  seek  him.  The 
shelves  were  filled  with  the  transactions  of  the  learned 
societies  to  which  he  belonged,  long  sets  of  scientific 

281 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

serials,  and  the  latest  publications  of  naturalists.  In  the 
cabinet  of  drawers  various  specimens  collected  on  his 
journeys  were  kept  for  convenient  reference.  A  micro- 
scope and  magnifying  glasses  were  as  constantly  at  hand 
as  his  pen  and  ink.  The  voluminous  mail  was  promptly 
dispatched.  His  correspondents  never  waited  long  for 
answers  to  their  queries.  He  was  not  a  frequent  reader  of 
novels  or  poetry, — but  he  kept  up  well  with  investigations 
in  all  departments  of  science,  and  with  the  characteristics 
and  achievements  of  those  who  were  working  in  his 
chosen  field.  He  had  the  art  of  turning  readily  to  any 
memoir  or  scientific  paper  that  he  wished  to  consult, — 
and  a  memory  which  was  both  comprehensive  and  trust- 
worthy. He  could  invariably  seize  the  significant  points 
in  long  and  complex  papers.  Although  not  a  remarkable 
linguist,  he  was  familiar  with  Greek  and  Latin,  and  he 
could  make  use  of  German,  French,  and  Italian,  and  to 
a  limited  extent  of  Spanish  and  of  Swedish.  As  a  lec- 
turer he  was  clear,  emphatic,  and  well  prepared,  but  he 
was  not  fond  of  the  platform.  Only  once  was  he  per- 
suaded to  go  upon  a  lecturing  tour.  In  1857,  ^e  deliv- 
ered an  address  before  the  citizens  of  New  Haven  in 
support  of  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School,  and  this  was 
repeated  before  the  Yale  Alumni,  yet  in  general  he 
shrank  from  such  appearances  in  public. 

Out-of-door  life  was  an  unfailing  pleasure.  Gardening 
suited  him.  There  was  a  time  when  skating  gave  him 
great  enjoyment.  During  one  season  horseback-riding 
became  an  exhilarating  entertainment.  With  Professor 
Porter,  Professor  Fisher,  General  Russell,  and  others, 
the  country  roads  and  woody  paths  were  traversed  for 
many  miles  around  New  Haven,  long  before  the  parks 
that  now  open  the  environs  had  been  projected.  The 
sailboat  had  no  attractions  for  the  returned  mariner. 
Walking  was  his  chief  recreation.  The  hills  and  valleys 
of  the  neighborhood  were  crossed  and  recrossed  with  the 

282 


RECREATIONS 

same  zest  that  in  early  life  had  been  directed  to  the  study 
of  the  islands  of  the  sea.  His  manual  of  the  New  Haven 
rocks  and  their  lessons  will  always  be  a  guide  of  the  ob- 
serving student  and  the  scientific  visitor.  He  made  long 
geological  excursions  in  western  New  England  and  on 
Long  Island.  When  he  came  home  from  a  summer  in 
the  Alps,  he  drew  up  an  itinerary  by  which  an  economi- 
cal tourist  might  be  directed  to  the  most  important 
points.  For  household  games  he  had  no  liking,  though 
at  one  time,  when  his  eyes  were  weak,  backgammon  was 
an  evening  entertainment.  He  used  neither  spirits  nor 
tobacco.  He  was  fond  of  music,  and  in  early  life  had 
played  the  flute  and  guitar,  but  he  rarely  attended  con- 
certs, and  he  could  not  be  called  a  singer,  although  when 
an  undergraduate  he  was  a  member  of  the  Beethoven 
Society  and  for  a  time  leader  of  the  village  choir.  Some 
musical  compositions  of  his,  dating  from  the  second  long 
voyage,  have  been  preserved.  A  cantata,  known  as  The 
Nativity,  was  given  at  the  Yale  Commencement  of  1843, 
by  the  "  Sing-Song  Club,"  of  which  Edward  W.  Oilman 
was  a  leading  member.  Quite  late  in  his  life  (1884)  he 
revised  this  composition  with  the  help  of  Dr.  Stoeckel, 
the  college  Professor  of  Music.  Another  of  his  compo- 
sitions was  the  music  for  an  ode  to  the  ship  Peacock, 
written  by  the  surgeon,  Dr.  J.  C.  Palmer.  Both  these 
gentlemen  found  a  source  of  recreation  and  pleasure 
in  their  joint  musical  and  poetical  work  during  the 
voyage. 

In  hours  of  repose,  on  a  walk  over  the  hills,  at  his  own 
table,  in  the  society  of  neighbors  and  pupils,  Professor 
Dana  was  quick  to  perceive  the  drollery  of  an  unusual 
situation,  sympathetic  with  those  who  were  in  trouble  or 
perplexity,  ready  with  suggestions  and  assistance.  He 
seldom  talked  of  himself,  or  of  his  varied  adventures,  or 
of  his  intimate  friends.  The  perils  of  the  expedition 
were  rarely  alluded  to.  He  had  no  stock  of  stories. 

283 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT    DANA 

That  humorous  reference  to  "  the  trilobites,  and  the 
story  they  could  tell,"  is  quite  an  exceptional  passage  in 
his  writings.*  Yet  he  was  easily  drawn  into  conversa- 
tion upon  scientific  subjects;  and  with  those  whom  he 
saw  familiarly,  like  Guyot,  Brush,  Marsh,  Verrill,  and 
Williams,  the  conversations  were  spirited,  controversial, 
inquisitive,  and  instructive. 

To  his  students  he  was  devoted.  One  of  his  lectures 
upon  the  Coral  Islands  was  a  great  favorite  with  them, 
and  it  was  often  repeated  by  request.  Vivid  pictures  of 
those  beautiful  formations  were  presented  by  the  lecturer, 
year  after  year,  with  the  enthusiasm  of  a  voyager  just  re- 
turned from  the  exploration  of  the  South  Seas.  When 
the  earlier  writings  of  Darwin  appeared,  and  all  educated 
people  were  eager  to  know  how  these  startling  generali- 
zations should  be  received,  Dana  lectured  to  the  college 
world  upon  this  subject,  and  his  guarded  utterances  con- 
tributed not  a  little  to  the  acceptance,  among  his  fol- 
lowers, of  the  doctrine  of  evolution. 

His  domestic  life  was  as  serene  as  it  could  be.  Next 
door  dwelt  his  father-in-law,  Professor  Silliman,  to  the 
end  of  his  days,  and  next  door  beyond,  on  Hillhouse 
avenue,  his  brother-in-law,  the  younger  Silliman.  The 
avenue  was  lined  with  the  houses  of  colleagues  and 
friends.  Shaded  by  the  beautiful  elms  which  were 
planted  by  James  Hillhouse,  it  was  one  of  the  most  at- 
tractive places  of  residence  in  New  England.  It  was 
within  sound  of  the  lively  college  bell,  and  far  enough 
from  the  public  green  to  be  as  quiet  as  a  country  lane. 

As  the  reader  has  already  become  aware,  Dana's  re- 
ligious life  was  simple  and  devout,  full  of  good-will  to  all 
men,  absolutely  free  from  dogmatism  and  obtrusiveness. 
Even  among  his  most  intimate  friends  he  rarely  referred 
to  his  inmost  convictions  and  hopes.  Only  when  some 
sermon  or  some  book  spoke  contemptuously  of  the  pursuit 

*  Page  183. 
284 


PROFESSOR   LE    CONTE'S   PORTRAIT 

of  science,  or  of  the  tendencies  of  modern  investiga- 
tion, did  he  speak  out  loud  against  such  bigotry,  yet 
always  in  an  extenuating  tone,  as  if  he  would  remove  the 
error  and  instruct  the  writer.  Just  before  the  expedition 
sailed,  he  became  a  member  of  the  First  church  of  Christ 
in  New  Haven,  and  in  later  life  he  was  a  communicant  in 
the  college  church  and  was  constant  in  his  attendance 
upon  divine  worship.  For  a  considerable  period  he  was 
frequently  present  at  the  meetings  of  the  Connecticut 
Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  and  of  "  The  Club/' 
already  described.  He  was  invited  to  become  a  mem- 
ber of  a  social  dining  club,  with  Agassiz,  Gray,  Bache, 
Gould,  and  others,  but  the  project  seems  to  have  fallen 
through.  In  national  politics  he  was  deeply  interested, 
and  in  all  the  controversies  that  preceded  the  Civil  War 
he  was  strongly  devoted  to  the  cause  of  the  Union,  but 
never  a  participant  in  public  meetings.  In  his  prime  he 
attended  the  meetings  of  the  American  Association  for 
the  Advancement  of  Science,  at  New  Haven,  Albany, 
Washington,  for  example,  and  took  part  in  the  proceed- 
ings ;  and  for  a  while,  until  failing  health  prevented,  he 
was  a  participant  in  the  meetings  of  the  National  Academy 
of  Science. 

To  the  foregoing  delineations,  which  are  drawn  by  one 
who  knew  Professor  Dana  only  in  his  later  life,  will  be 
added  a  vivid  sketch  of  a  previous  date.  This  was  writ- 
ten in  1850,  and  gives  the  impression  of  his  appearance 
among  scientific  men  when  he  was  not  quite  forty  years 
old.  The  writer  is  Professor  Joseph  Le  Conte,  of  the 
University  of  California. 

'  The  first  meeting  of  the  American  Association  for 
the  Advancement  of  Science  that  I  ever  attended  was  the 
New  Haven  meeting  in  1850.  Professor  Dana  read  a 
short  paper  on  '  The  Analogy,  in  Reproduction,  between 
the  Hydroids  and  Plants,'  showing  how  the  nutritive 
individuals  and  the  reproductive  individuals  of  the  one 

285 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

correspond  to  the  leaf-individuals  and  flower-individuals  of 
the  other.  His  slender,  erect  form,  his  sharp,  clear-cut 
features  and  penetrating  eyes,  his  eager  face  and  noble 
head  crowned  with  abundant  and  somewhat  dishevelled 
hair,  and,  above  all,  the  combination  of  philosophic 
thought  and  poetic  imagination  embodied  in  the  paper, 
made  an  indelible  impression  on  me — an  impression  which 
has  only  deepened  with  time.  The  leaders  in  American 
science,  at  that  time,  were  such  men  as  Agassiz,  Pierce, 
Henry,  Bache,  William  and  Henry  Rogers,  Gray,  and 
Hall — surely  as  brilliant  a  constellation  of  first-magnitude 
stars  as  any  since  that  time.  Among  such  men,  Dana, 
although  only  thirty-seven  years  old,  was  a  prominent 
figure,  for  had  he  not  already  published  his  great  work 
on  mineralogy  and  his  researches  on  the  zoophytes,  crus- 
tacea,  and  the  geology  of  the  United  States  Exploring 
Expedition  ?  " 

Not  long  before  his  marriage  Dana  thus  reviewed  the 
steps  of  his  career  in  one  of  the  confidential  and  affection- 
ate letters  which  from  time  to  time  he  addressed  to  his 
mother  * : 

"  Leaving  college,  my  wish  to  visit  the  Mediterranean 
was  at  once  gratified,  and  soon  after  I  returned  the  place 
with  Professor  Silliman,  for  which  I  had  long  before 
applied,  was  open  for  me.  The  year  then  had  hardly 
finished  when  I  received  my  appointment  in  the  expedi- 
tion, and  now  I  have  returned  again  after  a  cruise  of  un- 
usual dangers,  in  the  course  of  which,  at  least  seven  or 
eight  times,  death  seemed  to  stare  us  in  the  face,  and  all 
are  alive  and  in  health  that  I  left  behind.  I  might  go  on 
and  speak  of  other  sources  of  happiness  since  my  return  ; 
but  you  know  all.  Surely  my  cup  of  mercies  has  been 
full  to  overflowing.  How  few  of  my  playmates  at  school 
can  now  look  back  upon  such  constant  prosperity !  May 
these  mercies  prove  a  blessing  and  not  a  curse ;  may  they 
direct  my  heart  upward  to  the  Author  of  every  good  and 
perfect  gift,  and  lead  to  a  more  complete  conversion  of 
all  my  powers  and  energies  to  Him  who  in  the  events  of 
His  providence  and  grace  has  so  loved  us." 

*  Washington,  January  2,  1843. 
286 


PROLONGED   ILL-HEALTH 
CONTINUOUS   ILL-HEALTH 

Dana's  intellectual  activity,  continued  beyond  the  four- 
score limit,  is  the  more  remarkable  when  his  continued 
ill-health  is  borne  in  mind. 

In  the  early  autumn  of  1859  (as  was  stated  in  the  ninth 
chapter),  he  broke  down  and  went  abroad  in  order  to  re- 
cruit his  health.  Here  is  his  own  note  of  his  first  breaking 
down: 

"  Editorial  duties  connected  with  the  Journal  of  Science, 
and  college  duties  during  the  spring  and  summer  of  1859, 
in  addition  to  the  writing  of  mineralogical  and  three 
other  articles  for  the  Journal  of  Science,  and  some  essay- 
writing  for  the  New  Englander,  and  also  the  preparation 
of  a  Manual  of  Geology,  besides  work  on  the  scientific 
department  of  Webster  s  Dictionary,  led  to  a  breakdown 
in  July  of  that  year,  the  difficulty  being  an  overworked 
and  tired  head.  Unable  to  work,  or  even  to  engage 
in  conversation  without  unnatural  fatigue  of  head,  in 
October  I  left  for  Europe  with  my  wife.  I  visited 
France,  Italy,  and  Switzerland,  and  in  August,  1860,  re- 
turned, having  gained  but  little,  and  that  little  mainly 
among  the  glaciers  of  the  Alps.  The  rest  of  1860,  and 
all  of  1861,  was  spent  doing  nothing — hopeful  and  cheer- 
ful, as  I  had  ever  been,  and  seeing  some  small  progress 
towards  health  with  the  passing  months." 

He  was  absent  ten  months  and  came  back  somewhat 
improved. 

A  few  years  later,  in  December,  1862,  he  wrote  to  Dar- 
win: "  I  have  worked  to  great  disadvantage,  from  one  to 
three  hours  a  day,  and  often  not  at  all.  I  am  now  re- 
suming my  duties  in  the  University,  but  an  hour's  inter- 
course with  the  students  in  the  lecture-room  is  a  day's 
work  for  me."  Some  years  afterwards,  in  1869,  he  broke 
down  again,  and  Professor  Marsh  read  his  lectures  to 
the  senior  class.  Then  followed  a  severe  fever,  from 
which  he  slowly  recovered.  In  1874,  he  was  again 

287 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

disabled  for  a  time  by  a  heavy  cold.  He  recovered  suffi- 
ciently for  duty  in  the  summer  term.  In  1880,  he  was 
once  more  obliged  by  his  health  to  seek  release  from  his 
college  duties.  In  1890,  after  working  hard  on  a  new 
edition  of  the  Geology,  he  gave  up  college  work,  and 
never  resumed  it.  These  are  the  crises  in  his  indisposi- 
tion— but  the  weary  monotony  of  fatigue  cannot  thus  be 
defined. 

Here  is  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Dana  to  a  naturalist  who 
was  breaking  down  from  overwork — Professor  S.  F. 
Baird.  It  was  written  in  January,  1874,  before  Mr.  Baird 
had  performed  his  greatest  services  to  the  National 
Museum  and  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  It  is  here 
printed  for  the  hints  it  may  give  to  other  tired  workers 
with  the  brain. 

44  I  was  truly  sorry  to  learn  from  your  note  that  you 
were  feeling  poorly  again,  and  only  wish  it  were  possible 
to  talk  with  you  of  the  various  points  mentioned  in  your 
letter.  In  retracing  the  experience  of  almost  fourteen 
years  in  the  invalid  condition  of  my  husband,  it  is  by  no 
means  easy  to  catch  the  marked  epochs.  There  have 
been  during  those  years  very  great  variations  of  condition, 
and  perhaps  my  abiding  impression  is  of  great  incredulity 
in  the  judgment  of  doctors.  No  medical  treatment  has 
ever  been  of  any  avail,  and  I  think  Mr.  Dana  would  sum 
up  his  case  in  a  few  words.  He  would  say, — stop  at  once 
when  you  feel  you  are  doing  too  much,  and  always  alter- 
nate large  measure  of  field  work,  in  the  hills  or  the  woods, 
with  labor  in  the  study. 

"  He  thinks  his  first  anxious  indication  was  a  sensation 
of  soreness — rawness,  as  he  calls  it — internally  on  the 
top  of  the  head,  which  made  all  mental  activity,  even 
conversation,  a  trial,  and  persistence  in  it,  distressing.  I 
do  not  think  he  has  ever  suffered  from  pain ;  but  more 
from  a  sense  of  weariness  like  that  which  impels  you  to 
lay  down  your  head,  and  yet  without  finding  complete 
rest.  There  was  for  a  time  some  difficulty  in  sleeping, 
but  it  did  not  continue  long,  nor  is  it  common  now.  He 
finds  great  comfort  in  the  use  of  a  sponge  with  cold  water 

288 


WARNINGS   FROM   DARWIN   AND   AGASSIZ 

on  the  brow  if  he  does  not  incline  at  once  to  sleep,  and 
a  foot-bath  with  hot  or  cold  water,  as  the  state  of  the 
system  requires,  is  a  common  resource,  and  it  seldom  fails 
to  quiet  him. 

"  After  a  year  or  two  he  was  conscious  of  discomfort 
in  the  cerebellum  when  he  had  done  too  much,  and  to 
this  day  that  note  of  warning  can  never  be  disregarded. 
When  he  has  had  most  of  that  trouble,  he  has  found 
benefit  from  chopping  wood  as  a  form  of  exercise,  it 
tending  to  draw  off  the  circulation  from  the  cerebellum. 
He  has  never  been  quite  sound  since  the  summer  of  1859, 
and  we  have  long  since  ceased  to  expect  it,  and  learned 
to  be  thankful  if,  day  by  day,  he  was  able  to  do  the 
essential  duty  that  it  brought.  Two  or  three  hours  a 
day  are  his  usual  limits  of  work,  and  there  have  been 
many  periods  when,  for  months  at  a  time,  he  could  do 
literally  nothing.  Now  he  does  nothing  in  the  evening, 
nothing  at  all  in  the  way  of  society  even  in  the  most 
quiet  way." 

It  is  remarkable  that  two  other  contemporary  natural- 
ists, who  were  themselves  overcome  by  work,  kept 
preaching  to  Dana  the  sermons  that  he  might  have  ad- 
dressed to  them.  Agassiz  broke  down  in  the  middle  of 
his  career — although  he  recovered  his  vigor  and  retained 
it  until  a  short  time  before  his  death.  Darwin  also  was  a 
frequent  sufferer  during  the  latter  part  of  his  life.  The 
warnings  of  these  two  men  to  their  indefatigable  brother 
against  "  overwork  "  would  be  amusing  if  they  were  not 
pathetic.  Their  letters  are  given  beyond. 

The  consideration  of  Dana's  colleagues  in  the  faculty 
is  illustrated  by  this  letter : 

FROM  PROFESSOR  T.   A.    THACHER 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  February  23,  1869. 

"  Yours  of  the  2oth  came  to  hand  yesterday.  I  had 
not  heard  of  or  suspected  the  nature  of  your  illness  and 
I  hope  that  all  the  threatening  symptoms  may  pass  away, 
as  I  have  known  them  to  do  partially  or  entirely,  in  one 

'9  289 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT    DANA 

or  two  of  the  few  cases  which  have  come  under  my  notice. 
But  let  me  urge  you  to  give  up  your  recitations  in  geol- 
ogy. You  may  be  very  sure  that  no  one  of  your  col- 
leagues will  think  that  you  do  it  for  any  insufficient 
reason — and  even  if  they  did,  your  own  conviction  that 
the  restoration  of  your  health  requires  it  ought,  in  my 
judgment,  to  give  you  perfect  quietness  in  passing  the 
class  over  to  Professor  Marsh.  I  rejoice  that  you  are  so 
cheerful  while  the  outworks  of  your  citadel  appear  to  be 
so  seriously  threatened.  But  the  interior  defences  are 
impregnable.  Indeed,  I  think  that  if  you  will  resolutely 
deny  yourself  all  head-work,  so  far  as  that  is  possible  to 
you,  and  keep  your  brain  cool  in  the  open  air,  in  spite  of 
all  temptations  to  the  false  ideas  of  being  faithful  to  the 
college,  the  enemy  may  yet  retire  and  leave  you  intact. 
I  wish,  my  dear  friend,  that  I  could  contribute  to  so  good 
and  useful  a  result." 


Here  ends  the  story  of  a  consecrated  life, — a  life  con- 
secrated to  the  study  of  nature  and  the  discovery  of  her 
laws.  The  closest  scrutiny  of  every  period  has  revealed 
no  traces  of  selfishness,  no  neglect  of  opportunities,  no 
unworthy  motives.  From  beginning  to  end,  the  man  of 
science  has  been  devoted  to  the  search  for  exact  know- 
ledge, the  recognition  of  laws,  and  the  promulgation  of 
the  truths  thus  ascertained.  This  all,  on  a  broad  field. 
From  first  to  last,  this  life  has  exemplified  the  words  of 
the  Psalmist, 

THE  WORKS  OF  THE  LORD  ARE  GREAT  : 

SOUGHT  OUT  OF  ALL  THEM  THAT  HAVE  PLEASURE 

THEREIN. 


290 


PART  II 

SCIENTIFIC  CORRESPONDENCE 

Exchange  of  Letters  with  Gray,  Darwin,  Agassiz,  Guyot, 
Geikie,  and  Others 


291 


SCIENTIFIC  CORRESPONDENCE 

IN  the  following  pages  a  considerable  number  of  letters  will 
be  brought  together,  partly  as  illustrations  of  Dana's  activity 
interesting  to  those  who  knew  him  and  who  will  willingly  trace 
from  year  to  year  the  progress  of  his  studies ;  partly  as  indica- 
tions of  the  difficulties  encountered  by  a  scientific  man  of  the 
last  generation,  and  of  the  way  in  which  they  were  met. 

I  shall  first  give  the  letters  of  Gray,  Darwin,  Agassiz,  Guyot, 
and  Geikie,  for  the  correspondence  with  these  men  ran  over  a 
long  term  of  years;  and  afterwards  a  few  letters  will  be  added 
from  occasional  correspondents. 

I 

CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  DR.   ASA  GRAY 

His  prolonged  intimacy  with  the  illustrious  botanist  of 
Cambridge  was  one  of  the  greatest  intellectual  pleasures 
of  Dana's  life.  They  were  kindred  natures  devoted  to 
kindred  studies.  Gray  was  but  three  years  the  senior, — 
and  in  early  life  this  may  have  given  him  a  slight  degree 
of  authority.  Subsequently  there  was  nothing  but  reci- 
procity. The  reader  has  already  learned  that  it  was  he 
who  persuaded  Dana  to  go  on  the  expedition,  and  after 
its  return  his  advice  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  publica- 
tion of  the  reports  was  of  the  greatest  value.  He  had 
incisive  ways  of  expressing  his  opinions,  clear  judgment, 
and  abundant  knowledge,  so  that  he  was  a  most  excellent 
counsellor.  Besides,  he  was  a  professor  in  Harvard, 
an  active  member  of  the  American  Academy,  and  a 

293 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

contributor  to  the  North  American  Review -,  circumstances 
that  gave  him  influence  with  Mr.  Webster,  Mr.  Everett, 
and  other  public  men  of  Massachusetts,  whose  support  it 
was  important  to  enlist.  The  correspondence  of  the  two 
naturalists  respecting  the  vexatious  delays  and  interfer- 
ences on  the  part  of  the  authorities  in  Washington  was 
prolonged,  though  it  does  not  seem  worth  while  to 
repeat  in  these  pages  the  details  of  a  controversy  which 
has  long  since  passed  out  of  mind. 

After  Darwin's  Origin  of  Species  appeared,  Gray  was 
engaged  in  the  confidential  exchange  of  opinions  with 
Dana.  Until  his  last  days  he  was  a  constant  and  highly 
valued  contributor  to  the  Journal  of  Science.  Some  of 
Gray's  letters  have  appeared  in  the  volume  of  correspond- 
ence edited  by  his  wife;  but  their  reproduction  here  will 
serve  to  throw  light  on  the  acceptance  and  modification 
of  Darwin's  views.  Dana's  letters  on  these  points  will  be 
fully  given. 

DANA  TO  ASA   GRAY 

Analogies  of  Plant  Life  and  Animal  Life 

"NEW  HAVEN,  February  17,  1848. 

I  am  always  glad  of  your  criticisms,  as  I  seek  only 
truth,  and  I  feel  the  more  attached  to  one  who  will  help 
me  to  avoid  error.  In  this  case  I  think  you  do  not  fully 
understand  me.  I  do  not  mean  to  imply  that  there  is  an 
identity  of  forces  in  kind  and  action  in  the  animate  and 
inanimate  kingdoms.  This  is  far  from  my  belief;  I 
merely  state  that  a  common  law  as  regards  the  force 
operates  in  both  kingdoms.  This  is  the  law  of  interval 
or  size,  that  is,  that  successive  reproductions  are  separated 
by  intervals,  usually  regular  (circumstances  the  same); 
these  intervals  are  intervals  of  comparative  rest  and 
gradual  growth,  and  are  often  intervals  in  size  as  well  as 
time.  A  length  of  interval  may,  therefore,  be  a  fixed 
quantity  (cet.  par.).  For  example,  a  certain  size  is  neces- 
sary for  the  production  of  a  bud,  and  a  certain  interval  of 

294 


CORRESPONDENCE   WITH   DR.   GRAY 

growth,  that  is,  of  size  for  another  bud.  In  the  little  alga, 
in  my  zoophyte  chapter,  sporules  form  only  at  a  fixed 
interval  or  distance  from  the  extremity.  In  a  branching 
zoophyte,  branches  form  at  a  fixed  distance  from  the  apex, 
and  at  successive  intervals,  which  intervals,  cet.par.,  are 
fixed  in  amount.  It  is  the  same  in  principle  if  the  buds 
form  serrately  at  apex.  There  is  something  which  deter- 
mines these  limits  of  distances;  and,  in  the  case  of  the 
alga  and  others,  it  is  good  philosophy  to  say  that  the 
process  of  growth  at  the  apex  will  not  allow  (cet.  par.)  of 
sporules  forming  within  the  specific  distance.  The 
chemical  forces  required  for  growth  at  apex  do  not  admit 
of  that  different  action  of  forces  producing  sporules  within 
the  specific  distance.  The  fact  that  size  is  a  fundamental 
element,  as  much  as  in  a  galvanic  battery,  and  no  doubt 
for  analogous  reasons,  is  well  shown  in  a  brief  article  from 
Van  Beneden  in  the  Journal  just  coming  out.  The 
Campanularice,  Ascidice,  and  other  species  that  bud  and 
form  compound  groups,  grow  to  some  considerable  size 
by  budding  before  ova  are  produced.  The  young  animal 
produces  a  succession  of  buds  or  polyps,  and  after  the 
dendroid  group  has  reached  a  certain  size,  then  it  pro- 
duces gemmules  which  give  out  a  free  young  animal,  of 
peculiar  shape  (different  from  the  polyps),  and  this  young 
animal  produces  ova.  The  ova  again  must  go  through 
the  same  process.  You  observe  the  analogy  to  vegetation, 
in  which  a  series  of  buds  usually  forms  and  the  plant  thus 
attains  considerable  size  before  a  flower  (an  individual  of 
very  different  external  form  from  the  ordinary  buds)  is 
produced,  with  the  developing  ovules.  Steenstrup  has 
published  a  large  work,  which  you  have  probably  seen, 
on  Alternating  Generations, — all  the  facts  of  which 
amount  to  nothing  more,  essentially,  than  what  is  com- 
mon in  vegetable  life.  Size,  and  size  or  length  of  inter- 
val, must,  therefore,  be  an  important  element  in  a  [life] 
of  organic  growth.  This  is  the  main  point  in  my  last 
article. 

"  Professor  Henry,  one  evening  at  Washington,  stated 
to  me  that  he  considered  the  forces  in  animate  nature 
chemical  forces ;  but  that  there  was  a  directrix  (virtually) 
behind  all,  modifying  or  governing  the  results.  He  com- 
pared it  to  a  steam-engine,  whose  forces  within  were 
directed  in  their  operation  by  the  engineer.  This  is  the 

295 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

view  I  have  held,  or  favored,  of  late.  In  a  chemical  point 
of  view,  the  germ  requires  a  condition  of  chemical  forces 
more  unusual  or  of  a  higher  character  than  any  other  part 
of  an  organism,  for  the  product  is  in  part  those  chemical 
compounds  which  are  highest  in  the  ascending  scale — the 
highest  of  the  protein  compounds — and  it  is  a  just  conclu- 
sion that  the  formations,  or  chemical  processes,  attending 
growth  in  different  parts  of  a  plant  should  exert  some 
mutual  influence,  and  require  some  definite  size  in  the 
organism,  or  some  distance  of  interval.  But  I  will  stop, 
as  it  is  a  difficult  subject  to  write  upon  offhand.  I  in- 
tend to  put  something  together  for  the  Journal,  or  per- 
haps for  the  next  Association  at  Philadelphia.  I  fear 
now  I  have  not  given  above  my  views  as  they  are  (or  as 
they  will  be,  for  I  wish  to  give  the  subject  a  long  think- 
ing). Any  views  from  you  on  the  subject  would  be  most 
acceptable. ' ' 

On  a  Possible  Call  to  Harvard 

DANA  TO  ASA   GRAY 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  April  28,  1848. 

'  You  are  very  kind  in  the  interest  you  express  in  my 
joining  the  Cambridge  corps.  This  question  was  sug- 
gested to  me  when  at  the  Geological  Association  last  fall, 
by  Gould  and  afterwards  by  Agassiz,  and  it  was  highly 
gratifying  to  find  such  friendly  feelings  in  those  I  so 
much  esteem,  especially  as  the  honor  was  beyond  my  ex- 
pectations. I  told  them  that  such  a  situation  would  be 
most  agreeable  to  me,  for  its  own  sake,  and  still  more 
for  the  society  of  science  at  Boston  and  its  vicinity  into 
which  I  should  be  admitted.  Returning  to  New  Haven 
I  kept  this  matter  to  myself  until  near  midwinter,  when 
a  word  from  Gould  led  me  to  think  it  might  become  a 
serious  proposition.  It  seemed  wrong  for  me  to  indulge 
such  an  idea  longer  without  mentioning  it  to  those  with 
whom  I  am  so  intimately  connected  here,  for  you  know 
that  many  ties  unite  us.  It  was  strongly  opposed,  as 
was  natural,  and  the  hope  of  a  position  here  was  held 
out.  My  affections  and  early  associations  are  with  New 
Haven  and  Yale,  and  you  will  not  think  it  strange  that 

296 


CORRESPONDENCE   WITH   DR.    GRAY 

this  place  should  still  be  my  preference — a  feeling  much 
strengthened  by  my  dread  of  public  life,  especially  in  a 
strange  place.  But  I  have  felt  it  very  doubtful  whether 
anything  towards  a  professorship  here  could  be  accom- 
plished, as  there  are  no  funds  here,  and  no  source  to  look 
to  for  funds,  as  far  as  now  appears.  I  have  therefore 
replied  that  while  I  would  not  refuse  a  position  here 
properly  endowed,  and  would  be  much  pleased  to  con- 
tinue in  my  old  associations  at  this  place,  I  could  not, 
without  a  certainty  in  prospect,  set  aside  overtures  from 
Cambridge,  where  there  is  so  much  that  is  agreeable  and 
honorable,  and  all  is  so  full  of  hope.  Thus  the  matter 
stands.  I  know  you  will  fully  appreciate  the  conflict  in 
my  own  mind.  I  have  been  much  afraid  that  my  appoint- 
ment to  a  Cambridge  professorship  would  produce  ulti- 
mate disappointment  should  it  take  place,  because,  as  I 
am  frank  to  confess,  I  am  no  public  speaker,  and  should 
be  dependent  on  written  lectures  altogether.  This  would 
be  a  much  less  difficulty  here,  where  I  am  better  known. 
I  have  written  frankly  my  feelings  on  this  subject,  for 
your  own  eyes  alone,  the  purport  of  which  you  can  state 
to  '  that  other  friend/  and  to  Agassiz,  if  it  be  not  he." 

DANA  TO  ASA  GRAY 

"NEW  HAVEN,  July  12,  1848. 

"  In  my  last  long  letter  to  you  I  mentioned  frankly  the 
state  of  my  feelings  as  regards  Harvard  and  Yale,  and 
announced  that  I  had  promised  Silliman  not  to  refuse  a 
well-founded  professorship  at  this  place  if  offered  me.  I 
have  had  little  expectation  that  anything  would  be  done, 
and  this  little  has  recently  been  on  the  rapid  decrease, 
and  I  have  daily  looked  for  a  word  that  would  decide 
the  matter  Harvard-wise.  But  yesterday  there  was  a 
most  unexpected  offer  of  so  generous  a  character  that  I 
could  not  decline  it,  and  therefore  here  I  am  and  am  to 
be.  I  know  that  I  need  make  no  apologies  under  the 
circumstances  for  drawing  off  from  my  partial  engagement 
to  good  friends  at  Cambridge  and  Boston,  nor  are  re- 
newed assurances  needed  to  satisfy  them  of  my  warm 
attachment  and  gratitude.  Will  you  kindly  explain  to 
them  ?" 

297 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

On  the  Origin  of  Species 

ASA   GRAY   TO   DANA 

"CAMBRIDGE,  December  13,  1856. 

'  The  right  way  of  bringing  a  series  of  pretty  interest- 
ing general  questions  towards  settlement  is  perhaps  in 
hand  (though  I  do  not  expect  myself  to  bring  anything 
important  to  bear  upon  it),  namely,  for  a  number  of  totally 
independent  naturalists,  of  widely  different  pursuits  and 
antecedents,  to  environ  it  on  all  sides,  work  towards  a 
common  centre,  but  each  to  work  independently.  Such 
men  as  Darwin,  Dr.  Hooker,  De  Candolle,  Agassiz,  and 
yourself — most  of  them  with  no  theory  they  are  bound 
to  support — ought  only  to  bring  out  some  good  results. 
And  the  less  each  one  is  influenced  by  the  others'  mode 
of  viewing  things  the  better.  For  my  part,  in  respect  to 
the  bearings  of  the  distribution  of  plants,  etc.,  I  am  de- 
termined to  know  no  theory,  but  to  see  what  the  facts 
tend  to  show,  when  fairly  treated. 

"  On  the  subject  of  species,  their  nature,  distribution, 
what  system  in  natural  history  is,  etc.,  certain  inferences 
are  slowly  settling  themselves  in  my  mind,  or  taking 
shape ;  but  on  some  of  the  most  vexed  questions  I  have 
as  yet  no  opinion  whatever,  and  no  very  strong  bias, 
thanks,  partly,  to  the  fact  that  I  can  think  of  and  investi- 
gate such  matters  only  now  and  then,  and  in  a  very 
desultory  way. 

"  I  cannot  say  that  I  believe  in  centres  of  radiation  for 
groups  of  species.  From  Darwin's  questions  to  me  I 
think  I  perceive  some  of  the  grounds  on  which  he  would 
maintain  it.  One  is  alluded  to  on  page  77  of  the  January 
number  [of  Silliman 's  Journal^,  but  I  am  not  clear  that 
they  are  not  just  as  susceptible  of  other  interpretation. 

'  But  as  to  a  centre  of  radiation  of  each  separate  species, 
I  must  say  that  I  have  a  bias  that  way.  You  seem  to  have 
also,  and  you  can  best  judge  whether  this,  combined  with 
geological  considerations,  would  not  involve  centres  of 
radiation  for  groups  of  species  as  well,  to  a  certain  extent. 
Would  not  the  fact  that  the  members  of  peculiar  groups 
(in  Vegetable  Kingdom)  are  to  a  great  extent  localized 
favor  that  view  ? 

298 


CORRESPONDENCE   WITH    DR.    GRAY 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  your  idea  of  the  unity  of  the 
human  species  is  confirmed  more  and  more.  The  evi- 
dence seems  to  me  most  strongly  to  favor  it.  And  you 
will  discriminate  the  separate  questions  of  unity  of  birth- 
place and  unity  of  parentage.  .  .  . 

"  As  to  the  physical  question,  surely  you  do  not  sup- 
pose that,  in  a  fresh  race,  the  one  or  two  necessary  close 
intermarriages  would  sensibly  deteriorate  the  stock! 
Look  at  domestic  animals  of  peculiar  races, — how  long 
can  you  breed  in  and  in  without  much  abatement  of 
health  or  vigor ! 

l<  Did  you  ever  consider  the  question  of  the  cause  of 
deterioration  from  interbreeding  ? 

"  I  think  I  have  somewhere  in  the  Journal  stated  my 
notion  about  it,  or  hinted  at  it.  If  not,  I  will  some  day; 
for  I  have  a  pretty  decided  opinion  about  it :  that  heredi- 
tary transmission  of  individual  peculiarities  involves  also, 
among  them,  the  transmission  of  disease,  or  tendency  to 
disease, — a  constantly  increasing  heritage  of  liability  as 
interbreeding  goes  on ;  in  plants  well  exemplified  by 
maladies  affecting  old  cultivated  varieties  long  propagated 
by  division." 

ASA   GRAY   TO   DANA 

11  CAMBRIDGE,  November  7,  1857. 

"  If  you  have  plenty,  please  send  me  two  copies  of 
your  Thoughts  on  Species.  I  first  read  it  carefully  a  week 
ago,  and  I  meant  to  write  you  at  once  how  I  like  it,  and 
a  few  remarks,  but  something  prevented  at  the  time,  and 
I  have  been  very  busy  and  preoccupied  ever  since. 

"  For  the  reason  that  I  like  the  general  doctrine,  and 
wish  to  see  it  established,  so  much  the  more  I  am  bound 
to  try  all  the  steps  of  the  reasoning,  and  all  the  facts  it 
rests  on,  impartially,  and  even  to  suggest  all  the  adverse 
criticism  I  can  think  of.  When  I  read  the  pamphlet  I 
jotted  down  on  the  margin  some  notes  of  what  struck  me 
at  the  time.  I  will  glance  at  them  again  and  see  if,  on 
reflection,  they  appear  likely  to  be  of  the  least  use  to 
you,  and  if  so  will  send  them,  taking  it  for  granted  that 
you  rather  like  to  be  criticised,  as  I  am  sure  I  do,  when 
the  object  is  the  surer  establishment  of  the  truth. 

299 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT    DANA 

"  In  your  idea  of  species  as  specific  amount  or  kind  of 
concentrated  force,  you  fall  back  upon  the  broadest  and 
most  fundamental  views,  and  develop  it,  it  seems  to  me, 
with  great  ability  and  cogency. 

"  Taking  the  cue  of  species,  if  I  may  so  say,  from  the 
inorganic,  you  develop  the  subject  to  great  advantage 
from  your  view,  and  all  you  say  must  have  great  weight, 
in  '  reasoning  from  the  general/  But  in  reasoning  from 
inorganic  species  to  organic  species,  and  making  it  tell 
where  you  want  it  and  for  what  you  want  it  to  tell,  you 
must  be  sure  that  you  are  using  the  word  '  species  '  in 
the  same  sense  in  the  two,  that  the  one  is  really  an 
equivalent  of  the  other.  That  is  what  I  am  not  convinced 
of.  And  so  to  me  the  argument  comes  only  with  the 
force  of  an  analogy,  whereas  I  suppose  you  want  it  to 
come  as  demonstration.  Very  likely  you  could  convince 
me  that  there  is  no  fallacy  in  reasoning  from  the  one  to 
the  other  to  the  extent  you  do.  But  all  my  experience 
makes  me  cautious  and  slow  about  building  too  much 
upon  analogies;  and  until  I  see  further  and  clearer  I 
must  continue  to  think  that  there  is  an  essential  difference 
between  kinds  of  animals  or  plants  and  kinds  of  matter. 
How  far  we  may  safely  reason  from  the  one  to  the  other 
is  the  question.  If  we  may  go  so  even  as  far  as  you  go, 
might  not  Agassiz  (at  least  plausibly)  say  that,  as  the 
species  Iron  was  created  in  a  vast  number  of  individuals 
over  the  whole  earth,  so  the  presumption  is  that  any 
given  species  of  plants  or  animals  was  originated  in  as 
many  individuals  as  there  are  now,  and  over  as  wide  an 
area,  the  human  species  under  as  great  diversities  as  it 
now  has  (barring  historical  intermixture)  ? — so  reducing  the 
question  between  you  to  insignificance,  because  then  the 
question  whether  men  are  of  one  or  of  several  species  would 
no  longer  be  a  question  of  fact,  or  of  much  consequence. 

'  You  can  answer  him  from  another  starting-point,  no 
doubt ;  but  he  may  still  insist  that  it  is  a  legitimate  carry- 
ing out  of  your  own  principle.  .  .  . 

'  The  tendency  of  my  mind  is  opposed  to  this  sort  of 
view;  but  you  may  be  sure  that  before  long  there  must 
be  one  or  more  resurrections  of  the  development  theory 
in  a  new  form,  obviating  many  of  the  arguments  against 
it,  and  presenting  a  more  respectable  and  more  formidable 
appearance  than  it  ever  has  before.  .  ,  . 

300 


CORRESPONDENCE   WITH    DR.    GRAY 

"  I  wanted  to  say  something  on  the  last  two  pages,  but 
as  I  have  nothing  in  particular  to  except  to,  and  much  to 
approve,  and  as  it  is  late  bedtime,  I  spare  you  further 
comments. 

"  I  set  out  to  find  flaws,  as  likely  to  be  more  suggestive 
and  therefore  far  more  useful  to  you  than  any  amount  of 
praise,  with  which  I  could  fill  page  after  page." 


ASA   GRAY   TO   DANA 


"June  22,  1872. 


"  I  fancy  you  have  got  hold  of  a  good  topic  for  your 
handling,  and  have  a  promising  inquiry  before  you,  in 
co-ordinating  cephalization  and  natural  selection  as 
operative  on  the  nervous  system  of  animals.  I  expect 
you  to  get  something  interesting  out  of  it. 

"  But  every  now  and  then  something  you  write  makes 
me  doubt  if  you  quite  get  hold  just  right  of  Darwinian 
natural  selection.  What  you  still  say  about  struggle  not 
applicable  to  plants  makes  me  think  so. 

"  Suppose  the  term  be  a  personification,  as,  no  doubt, 
strictly  it  is.  One  so  fond  as  you  are  of  personification 
and  good  general  expressions  ought  not  to  object  to  what 
seems  to  me  a  happy  term. 

"  Speaking  from  general  memory,  I  should  say  that  the 
term  as  used  to  express  what  we  mean,  was  introduced 
by  the  elder  De  Candolle,  and  applied  in  what  I  thought 
a  happy  way  to  the  vegetable  kingdom.  I  cannot  drop 
it  because  you  say  there  is  no  struggle  where  there  is  no 
will;  perhaps  you  mean  without  consciousness,  and  then 
the  field  of  struggle  will  be  much  limited.  But  call  the 
action  what  you  please, — competition  (that  is  open  to  the 
same  objections),  collision,  or  what  not, — it  is  just  what 
I  should  think  Darwin  was  driving  at.  Read  Origin  (4th 
ed.),  pp.  72,  73,  and  so  on,  through  the  chapter,  especially 
pp.  81-86. 

'  This  is  enough  to  show  you  that  when  you  speak  of 
Darwinian  *  struggle  '  as  occurring  only  '  when  the  facul- 
ties of  an  animal  are  called  into  requisition/  you  take 
too  limited  a  view  of  what  Darwin  means. 

"  For  my  part,  I  should  say  that  the  faculties  of  the 
lowest  animals  and  the  faculties  of  plants  were  equally 

301 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

called  into  requisition  in  the  case,  in  a  manner  so  parallel 
that  there  is  no  drawing  any  but  a  purely  arbitrary  dis- 
tinction between  the  one  and  the  other. 

"  I  conceive  one  as  effective  as  the  other  as  regards 
the  leading  on  and  fixing  variation.  When  I  say  now 
again  that  the  expression  '  fitted  by  its  regional  develop- 
ment to  the  region  '  conveys  no  clear  meaning  to  me,  I 
am  only  telling  you,  as  I  did  before,  my  way  of  looking 
at  things,  not  finding  fault  with  yours. 

"  By  the  way :  '  variation  (inherent)  in  particular  direc- 
tions '  is  your  idea  and  mine,  but  is  very  anti-Darwin." 

ASA   GRAY   TO   DANA 

' 
"  CAMBRIDGE,  May  20,  1886. 

"  I  find  little  time  to  read  anything  now  out  of  my 
regular  trodden  course.  But  having  to  lie  by  a  few 
hours,  I  took  up  your  memoir  of  dear  Guyot,  and  have 
read  it  with  much  gratification.  You  have  very  much  in 
common  with  Guyot  in  thought  and  ways  of  viewing, 
and  so  you  are  just  the  person  to  pay  this  well-deserved 
tribute.  For  myself,  I  begin  at  length  to  be  old — to  find 
that  I  cannot  do  much  except  just  when  in  the  best 
physical  condition.  Just  then  I  forget  my  age.  But 
this  expelling  of  nature  (the  inevitable)  with  a  fork, 
does  not  keep  it  off  for  long."  * 

II 

CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  CHARLES  DARWIN 

The  names  of  Darwin  and  Dana  will  always  be  asso- 
ciated,— partly  because  they  had  like  opportunities  in  the 
exploration  of  the  Pacific,  partly  because  their  studies  in- 
cluded the  broad  aspects  of  geology  and  zoology,  and 
perhaps  still  more  because  they  were  independent  inves- 
tigators of  the  origin  and  growth  of  coral  islands.  Each 
fitted  himself  for  generalizations  by  careful  and  prolonged 
studies,  the  one  of  the  barnacles,  and  the  other  of  the 
Crustacea  and  zoophytes. 

*  Dr.  Gray  died  January  30,  1888. 
3O2 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  CHARLES  DARWIN 

They  never  met,  but  their  correspondence,  which  was 
opened  by  Darwin  in  1849,  continued  until  1872,  and 
possibly  longer.  Not  all  their  letters  have  been  pre- 
served, but  those  which  have  been  recovered  are  of  so 
much  interest  to  naturalists,  because  of  the  eminence  of 
the  writers,  that  long  citations  will  be  given. 

The  voyage  of  the  Beagle  gave  Darwin  his  opportunity. 
It  was  begun,  under  Fitzroy,  in  December,  1831,  for  the 
purpose  of  surveying  the  shores  of  Chili  and  Peru  and  of 
some  islands  in  the  Pacific,  and  to  carry  a  chain  of  chron- 
ometrical  measures  around  the  world.  Fitzroy  offered 
part  of  his  own  cabin  to  any  young  man  who  would 
volunteer  to  go,  without  pay,  as  naturalist.  Darwin  was 
eager  to  go,  but  his  father  objected  to  the  son's  accept- 
ance, and  Fitzroy's  offer  was  refused.  An  uncle  ad- 
vised the  young  man  to  go,  and  finally  the  father 
consented. 

In  October,  1836,  the  Beagle  returned  to  Falmouth. 
In  the  following  May,  Darwin  gave  to  the  Geological 
Society  his  views  respecting  the  formation  of  the  three 
great  classes  of  coral  reefs,  atolls,  barrier  and  fringing 
reefs,  and  these  views  were  afterwards  developed  in  a 
separate  volume  on  the  Structure  and  Distribution  of 
Coral  Reefs,  published  in  1842.  Dana's  knowledge  of 
Darwin's  study  was  accidental,  as  will  be  apparent  from 
the  story  as  it  is  told  by  the  friend  of  both,  Professor 
Judd,  in  a  recent  edition  of  Darwin's  Coral  Reefs. 

As  a  key  to  many  of  the  allusions  in  this  correspond- 
ence, two  extracts  from  the  Life  and  Letters  of  Charles 
Darwin  are  here  inserted. 

He  says  of  himself: 

"  In  October,  1846,  I  began  to  work  on  Cirripedia. 
When  on  the  coast  of  Chili,  I  found  a  most  curious  form, 
which  burrowed  into  the  shell  of  concholepas,  and  which 
differed  so  much  from  all  other  cirripedes  that  I  had  to 

303 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

form  a  new  suborder  for  its  sole  reception.  Lately  an 
allied  burrowing  genus  has  been  found  on  the  shores  of 
Portugal.  To  understand  the  structure  of  my  new  cirri- 
pede  I  had  to  examine  and  dissect  many  of  the  common 
forms,  and  this  gradually  led  me  on  to  take  up  the  whole 
group.  I  worked  steadily  on  this  subject  for  the  next 
eight  years,  and  ultimately  published  two  thick  volumes, 
describing  all  the  known  living  species.  I  do  not  doubt 
but  that  Sir  E.  Lytton  Bulwer  had  me  in  his  mind  when 
he  introduced  in  one  of  his  novels  a  Professor  Long,  who 
had  written  two  huge  volumes  on  limpets. 

"  Although  I  was  employed  during  eight  years  on  this 
work,  yet  I  record  in  my  diary  that  about  two  years  out 
of  this  time  was  lost  by  illness." 

In  September,  1854,  his  Cirripedia  work  was  practically 
finished,  and  he  wrote  to  Sir  J.  Hooker: 

"  I  have  been  frittering  away  my  time  for  the  last 
several  weeks  in  a  wearisome  manner,  partly  idleness,  and 
odds  and  ends,  and  sending  ten  thousand  barnacles  out 
of  the  house  all  over  the  world.  But  I  shall  now  in  a  day 
or  two  begin  to  look  over  my  old  notes  on  species. 
What  a  deal  I  shall  have  to  discuss  with  you !  I  shall 
have  to  look  sharp  that  I  do  not  '  progress  '  into  one  of 
the  greatest  bores  in  life,  to  the  few,  like  you,  with  lots 
of  knowledge."  * 

DARWIN  TO   DANA 
Opening  the  Correspondence 

"  DOWN,  FARNBOROUGH,  KENT,  Aug.  12,  1849. 

"  I  hope  that  you  will  forgive  the  liberty  I  take  in  ad- 
dressing you,  but  having  been  in  correspondence  with 
Dr.  A.  Gould,  he  has  advised  me  to  write  to  you  on  my 
present  occupation,  in  order  to  beg,  if  it  lies  in  your 
power,  assistance.  I  have  been  for  many  months,  and 
shall  for  a  year  or  two  longer  (for  my  poor  health  allows 
me  to  work  but  an  hour  or  two  daily)  be  employed  on  an 
anatomical  and  systematic  monograph  on  the  Cirripedia. 

*  Life  and  Letters  of  Charles  Darwin,  vol.  i.,  p.  395. 
304 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  CHARLES  DARWIN 

I  have  the  use  of  Mr.  Cunning's,  Mr.  Strickland's,  Mr. 
Sowerby's,  British  Museum,  and  Jardin  des  Plantes  collec- 
tions, all  placed  at  my  disposal,  and  many  other  private 
collections. 

"  It  is  my  earnest  wish  to  make  my  monograph  as  per- 
fect as  I  can.  Can  you  lend  me  any  species  collected 
during  your  great  expedition  ?  They  would  be  most 
valuable  to  me  whether  named  or  not,  for  I  describe  the 
animal  of  every  species  and  disarticulate  the  shells.  If 
you  would  pay  me  so  great  a  compliment  as  to  entrust 
any  specimens  to  my  care,  I  would  pledge  myself  to  re- 
turn them  carefully  to  you.  Even  well-known  species 
are  very  interesting  to  me,  if  localities  are  given  accu- 
rately. I  am  bound  to  state  that  I  require  to  separate  the 
valves  of  one  specimen  of  every  species,  but  I  preserve 
them  pasted  on  board.  Characters,  I  find,  drawn  solely 
from  the  outside  are  quite  valueless,  and  the  systematic 
condition  of  the  Cirripedia  is  one  of  chaos.  I  find  that 
by  soaking  I  can  examine  the  animal  pretty  well  in  dried 
specimens.  I  believe  it  is  generally  admitted  that  the 
Cirripedia  have  been  much  neglected,  and  I  hope  that 
my  work  may  be  of  some  small  service.  If  you  can  and 
are  willing  to  assist  me,  I  shall  feel  truly  grateful.  I 
trust  that  our  common  pursuits  and  attachment  to  the 
good  cause  of  natural  history  will  excuse  my  thus 
writing  to  you." 

DARWIN  TO  DANA 
On  the  Cirripedia 
"  DOWN,  FARNBOROUGH,  KENT,  Oct.  8,  1849. 

"  I  am  sincerely  obliged  to  you  for  your  very  kind  let- 
ter and  the  information  sent.  I  am  sure  from  what  you 
say  that  had  it  been  in  your  power  you  would  have  as- 
sisted me  with  specimens.  I  was  not  aware  that  you  had 
attended  to  the  Cirripedia,  otherwise  I  would  have  had 
greater  scruple  in  applying  to  you.  Yours  was  indeed  a 
grand  voyage,  and  your  range  of  research  a  wide  one.  I 
have  always  felt  much  interested  in  regard  to  your  classi- 
fication, etc.,  of  the  corals.  I  dissected  enough  to  see 
what  a  generous  field  there  was  open.  Indeed,  I  had  in- 
tended working  on  the  subject,  but  my  miserable  health 

20  305 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

for  the  last  ten  years  (which  has  lost  me  much  more  than 
half  my  time)  has  interrupted  all  my  former  hopes  and 
designs.  You  cannot  imagine  how  much  gratified  I  have 
been  that  you  have  to  a  certain  extent  agreed  with  my 
coral  island  notions.  To  return  to  the  Cirripedia.  I  am 
allowed  to  work  only  two  hours  daily  (after  five  months' 
doing  nothing),  so  that  it  will  be  long  before  I  publish. 
The  Cirripedia  are,  moreover,  very  troublesome  from 
their  great  variability,  and  the  necessity  of  examining  the 
whole  animal  and  [the]  inside  and  outside  of  shell.  Pos- 
sibly you  may  publish  your  specimens  before  my  mono- 
graph. In  that  case  would  it  be  possible  for  me  to  see 
any  duplicates,  or  in  no  case  must  [they]  be  sent  out  of 
the  country  ?  Your  spirillus  sounds  very  curious.  I 
would  really  like  to  know  whether  it  is  absolutely  loose 
and  unattached  amongst  the  seaweed. 

"  I  am  particularly  obliged  to  you  for  pointing  out  to 
me  your  notice  on  the  metamorphosis  of  the  Cirripedia 
in  Sillimans  Journal,  for  I  should  have  overlooked  it. 
You  have  to  a  certain  extent  forestalled  me,  though  we 
do  not  take  the  same  view  in  the  homologies  of  the  parts. 
I  have,  I  think,  worked  out  the  anatomy  of  the  larva  in 
considerable  detail,  and  I  hope  correctly.  I  have  seen 
Dr.  Leidy's  eyes  in  several  genera;  indeed,  I  have  seen 
and  noted  them  as  '  like  eyes  '  before  reading  his  paper; 
but  I  do  not  suppose  that  I  should  have  followed  out 
what  I  had  seen  had  it  not  been  for  Dr.  Leidy;  for 
these  organs  are  very  minute  and  rudimentary." 

DARWIN  TO  DANA 
On  Coral  Reefs 

"  DOWN,  FARNBOROUGH,  KENT,  Dec.  5,  1849. 

"  I  have  not  for  some  years  been  so  much  pleased  as  I 
have  just  been  by  reading  your  most  able  discussion  on 
coral  reefs.  I  thank  you  most  sincerely  for  the  very 
honorable  mention  you  make  of  me.  ...  I  have 
read  about  half  through  the  descriptive  part  of  the  Vol- 
canic Geology  (last  night  I  ascended  the  peaks  of  Tahiti 
with  you,  and  what  I  saw  in  my  short  excursion  was  most 
vividly  brought  before  me  by  your  descriptions),  and  have 

306 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  CHARLES   DARWIN 

been  most  deeply  interested  by  it.  Your  observations 
on  the  Sandwich  craters  strike  me  as  the  most  important 
and  original  of  any  that  I  have  read  for  a  long  time. 
Now  that  I  have  read  yours,  I  believe  I  saw  at  the  Gala- 
pagos, at  a  distance,  instances  of  those  most  curious 
fissures  of  eruption.  There  are  many  points  of  resem- 
blance between  the  Galapagos  and  Sandwich  Islands 
(even  to  the  shape  of  the  mound-like  hills),  viz. :  in  the 
liquidity  of  the  lavas,  absence  of  scoriae,  and  tuff-craters. 
Many  of  your  scattered  remarks  on  denudation  have 
particularly  interested  me ;  but  I  see  that  you  attribute 
less  to  sea  and  more  to  running  water  than  I  have  been 
accustomed  to  do.  After  your  remarks  in  your  last  kind 
letter,  I  could  not  help  skipping  on  to  the  Australian 
valleys,  on  which  your  remarks  strike  me  as  exceedingly 
ingenious  and  novel,  but  they  have  not  converted  me.  I 
cannot  conceive  how  the  great  lateral  bays  could  have 
been  scooped  out  and  their  sides  rendered  precipitous  by 
running  water.  I  shall  go  on  and  read  every  word  of 
your  excellent  volume. 

11  What  an  unfortunately  short  time  you  were  permitted 
to  stay  in  many  places,  yet  how  much  you  managed  to 
see!" 

DARWIN   TO   DANA 

The  Cirripedia  Again  :  Blind  Fauna  of  the  Kentucky 
Caves 

"  DOWN,  FARNBOROUGH,  KENT,  May  8,  1852. 

'  Your  letter  has  given  me  much  pleasure,  more  than 
you  would  anticipate,  and  more,  perhaps,  than  it  ought  to 
do,  though  I  put  down  part  of  what  you  say  to  the  kind- 
ness of  disposition  which  I  have  observed  in  your 
memoirs  and  in  your  letters  to  me.  I  have  had  a  short 
letter  from  Muller  of  Berlin,  expressing  interest  in  my 
book,  and  now,  with  what  you  have  said,  I  feel  highly 
satisfied,  and  can  go  on  with  my  work  with  a  good  heart. 
Vou  will  perhaps  be  surprised  at  all  this,  but  I  think 
every  one  wants  sympathy  in  their  pursuits,  and  I  live  a 
very  retired  life  in  the  country,  and  for  months  together 
see  no  one  out  of  my  own  large  family.  With  respect  to 

307 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

what  you  say  on  the  homologies  of  the  larva  in  the  first 
stage,  I  confess  to  have  gone  through  more  doubt  than 
on  any  other  part.  For  some  time  I  thought  the  three 
pairs  of  legs  corresponded  with  the  mandibles,  the  inner 
and  outer  maxillae,  for  I  must  still  believe  in  there  being 
(potentially)  two  pairs  of  antennae  in  the  earliest  stage ; 
but  the  description  of  the  larva  in  the  second  stage  by 
(whose  paper,  by  the  way,  is  dreadfully  incor- 
rect), and  the  somewhat  varying  position  of  the  mouth 
in  the  first  stage,  lead  me  to  the  view  I  have  taken.  I 
hope  that  whenever  you  have  an  opportunity  you  will 
attend  to  the  adhesion  of  the  Lerneidcs.  The  method  of 
attachment  which  I  have  described  is  certainly  the  great 
character  of  the  class  of  Cirripedia.  I  thank  you  very 
much  for  your  wish  for  me  to  have  the  Cirripedia  of  the 
expedition,  but  I  know  well  how  impossible  it  is.  Your 
information  on  the  corals  has  been  most  useful.  .  .  . 
"  I  am  most  vexed  at  the  little  wooden  pill-box  with 
the  crustacean  being  lost.  I  put  it  in  the  parcel  myself. 
I  suppose  the  parcel  must  have  been  opened  at  your  Cus- 
tom-House,  and  so  the  little  box  lost.  I  have  got  Balliere 
to  write  to  New  York  to  inquire.  I  had  hoped  that  this 
would  have  turned  out  of  some  interest  to  you.  I  have 
lately  been  reading  the  volumes  for  the  last  dozen  years 
of  Silliman  s  Journal  with  great  interest.  What  a  curious 
account  is  that,  by  Mr.  Silliman,  on  the  blind  fauna  of 
the  caves!*  I  feel  extremely  interested  in  the  subject, 
having  for  many  years  collected  facts  on  variation,  etc. 
Would  it  be  possible  to  procure  one  of  the  rats  for 
the  British  Museum  ?  I  should  so  like  my  friend  Mr. 
Waterhouse,  to  examine  the  teeth  and  see  whether  it  is 
an  old-  or  new-world  form.  If  you  could  oblige  the 
naturalists  on  this  side  of  the  water  by  getting  so  interest- 
ing a  specimen,  would  you  send  it  to  me  to  give  to  Water- 
house  ?  for  (privately,  between  ourselves)  it  would  be  of 

little  use  to  real  science  if  once  in  the  hands  of  Mr. ; 

but  very  likely  I  am  asking  for  an  impossibility ;  the  rats 
may  be  very  rare.  It  is  not  stated  whether  the  optic 
nerve  was  dissected  out,  which  would  be  a  curious  point. 
I  read  over  again  in  the  Journal  several  of  your  papers. 
If  I  [had]  had  space  I  should  like  to  have  fought  a 

*  See  the  American  Journal  of  Science,  Second  Series,  vol.  xi.,  p.  332  ; 
B.  Silliman,  Jr.,  to  A.  Guyot. 

308 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  CHARLES  DARWIN 

friendly  battle  with  you  on  the  Australian  valleys.  I 
see  I  have  not  stated  my  side  versus  fresh  water  in  nearly 
enough  detail.  Did  you  not  observe  the  great  high 
plains  forming  peninsulas  running  laterally  into  the 
valleys  (and  I  expect  almost  truly  insulated  masses)  ? 
These  seem  to  me  to  be  very  improbable  on  the  running- 
water  theory.  Again,  as  far  as  I  saw,  and  as  appears  on 
maps,  the  line  of  drainage  never  seems  to  be  at  foot  of 
precipices  on  either  side,  and  it  appears  to  me  that  this 
might  be  expected  to  occur  here  and  there  if  the  valleys 
were  still  in  process  of  excavation.  But  I  had  no  inten- 
tion to  discuss  this  subject  when  I  began,  or  to  trouble 
you  with  so  very  long  a  letter." 

DARWIN   TO   DANA 

Volcanoes 
"DOWN,  FARNBOROUGH,  KENT,  Sept.  9,  1852. 

"  I  make  most  snail-like  progress  in  whatever  I  do.  I 
should  think  more  thought  passed  through  your  head, 
and  words  from  your  pen,  in  one  day,  than  in  ten  through 
mine.  My  weak  health  is  partly  my  excuse.  In  the 
spring  I  saw  Abich,  who  has  just  returned  from  the  Cau- 
casus, where  he  has  been  studying,  inter  alia,  the  extinct 
volcanoes;  and  he  told  Sir  C.  Lyell  that  there  were  many 
points  he  was  never  able  to  understand  until  reading 
your  admirable  chapters  on  the  Sandwich  Islands.  I 
sincerely  hope  that  you  are  well,  and  that  your  multi- 
farious and  valuable  labors  are  all  prospering  successfully." 

DARWIN  TO  DANA 
Dana  s  "  Crustacea  " 
"DOWN,  FARNBOROUGH,  KENT,  Nov.  25,  1852. 

"  I  shall  read  with  interest  your  geographical  discus- 
sion in  Mr.  Lubbock's  copy  when  he  can  purchase  it. 
You  ask  whether  I  shall  ever  come  to  the  United  States. 
I  can  assure  you  that  no  tour  whatever  could  be  half  so 
interesting  to  me,  but  with  my  large  family  I  do  not  sup- 
pose that  I  shall  ever  leave  home.  It  would  be  a  real 
pleasure  to  me  to  make  your  personal  acquaintance." 

309 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT    DANA 

DARWIN   TO   DANA 

"  DOWN,  BROMLEY,  KENT,  Sept.  27,  1853. 

"  Pray  forgive  me  troubling  you,  but  my  neighbor, 
Mr.  J.  Lubbock,  has  got  your  work  on  Crustacea  (as  yet 
without  the  plates),  and  has  lent  it  to  me  for  a  fortnight 
to  look  over,  and  I  have  experienced  such  great  interest 
in  many  parts,  and  have  found  it  so  suggestive  towards 
my  Cirrtpedia  work,  that  I  cannot  resist  expressing  my 
thanks  and  admiration.  The  geographical  discussion 
struck  me  as  eminently  good.  The  size  of  the  work, 
and  the  necessary  labor  bestowed  on  it,  are  really  surpris- 
ing. Why,  if  you  had  done  nothing  else  whatever,  it 
would  have  been  a  magnum  opus  for  life.  Forgive  my 
presuming  to  estimate  your  labors,  but  when  I  think  that 
this  work  has  followed  your  Corals  and  your  Geology,  I 
am  really  lost  in  astonishment  at  what  you  have  done  in 
mental  labor.  And  then,  besides  the  labor,  so  much 
originality  in  all  your  works!  I  only  hope  that  your 
health  has  withstood  such  labor.  It  frightens  me  to 
think  of  it.  You  will  have  seen  my  friend  and  neighbor, 
Mr.  Lubbock,  has  been  working  a  little  on  the  lower 
Crustacea.  He  is  a  remarkably  nice  young  man,  only  a 
little  above  eighteen  years  old.  If  you  can  ever  give  him 
a  little  encouragement  it  would  really  be  a  good  service, 
for  he  has  great  zeal,  and  for  one  so  young,  I  should  hope, 
has  done  well ;  and  if  he  can  resist  his  future  career  of 
great  wealth,  business,  and  rank,  may  do  good  work  in 
natural  history.  I  hope  myself  to  go  to  press  in  a 
month's  time  with  my  last  volume  on  the  Cirripedia.  I 
have  got  thirty  plates  engraved,  and  shall  be  very  glad  to 
have  finished  it." 

DARWIN   TO   DANA 
Caution  against  Overwork 

"  DOWN,  FARNBOROUGH,  KENT,  June  15,  1857. 

'  I  thank  you  much  for  your  note  of  the  I3th  of  May, 
and  the  tracings  of  the  curious  Bopyrid. 

"  Considering  how  overwhelmed  you  are  with  work,  I 
am  quite  sorry  that  you  should  have  had  this  trouble.  I 
have  always  been  utterly  astonished  at  the  amount  of 

310 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  CHARLES  DARWIN 

work  which  you  have  done,  and  allow  me  to  add  that 
I  have  been  frightened  at  it.  I  do  not  believe  any  head 
can  long  withstand  such  work ;  reflect  sometimes  how 
much  you  will  do  if  you  can  keep  ten  years  of  good 
health.  I  know  to  my  cost  what  ill-health  is, — may  you 
never  have  my  experience." 

DANA  TO   DARWIN 

On  the  Origin  of  Species 

"NEW  HAVEN,  Dec.  4,  1862. 

"  A  year  and  a  half  ago  I  partially  completed  a  letter 
to  you  in  reply  to  your  kind  words  which  greeted  me 
soon  after  my  arrival  in  the  country.  I  have  been  de- 
laying ever  since  then,  against  my  inclination,  with  the 
hope  of  being  able  soon  to  report  that  I  was  in  a  condi- 
tion to  read  your  work'.  Many  long  months,  and  now 
even  years,  have  passed  by,  and  still  your  book,  the 
Origin,  remains  unopened.  You  see  that  I  have  been 
gaining  and  doing  some  work  in  the  Geological  Manual, 
which  I  trust  will  have  reached  you  before  you  have  the 
reading  of  this  note.  But  I  have  worked  to  great  disad- 
vantage, one  to  three  hours  a  day,  and  often  none  at  all, 
and  thus  have  gradually  pushed  through  the  labor  to  the 
end.  I  am  now  resuming  my  duties  in  the  University. 
But  one  hour's  intercourse  with  the  students  in  the 
lecture-room  is  a  day's  work  for  me.  Thus  you  will  yet 

?ardon  my  seeming  neglect  of  your  work.  In  my  Geology 
had  a  chapter  partly  prepared  on  the  question  whether 
the  organization  of  species  was  a  subject  within  the  range 
of  dynamical  geology, — taking  sides,  I  confess,  against 
you ;  but  I  omitted  it  entirely  because  I  could  not  study 
up  the  subject  to  the  extent  that  was  necessary  to  do  it 
justice.  I  have,  however,  expressed  an  opinion  on  this 
point  in  the  Geology ;  and  this  you  will  excuse,  for  my 
persuasions  are  so  strong  that  I  could  not  say  less.  You 
will  perhaps  be  the  more  interested  in  the  work  because 
of  its  American  character. 

*  I  have  thus  far  had  nothing  to  do,  since  the  summer 
of  1859,  w^h  the  editing  of  the  Journal  of  Science,  al- 
though wholly  charged  with  it  before  then.  I  hope  soon 
to  take  hold  again. 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

"  I  shall  take  great  pleasure  in  hearing  from  you,  and 
if  a  photograph  of  yourself  could  be  added  to  your  letter 
it  would  enhance  greatly  the  pleasure.  Although  so  long 
silent,  there  is  no  failing  of  esteem  and  admiration  on  the 
part  of  your  friend." 


DARWIN   TO  DANA 

"  DOWN,  BROMLEY,  KENT,  Jan.  7,  1863. 

"  I  was  most  truly  rejoiced  to  hear  by  your  letter  of 
December  4th  that  your  health  is  considerably  re-estab- 
lished and  that  you  are  at  work  on  Science  again.  From 
one  to  three  hours  a  day  must  be  a  great  change  to  you ; 
but  for  me  during  many  years  three  hours  has  been  a 
most  unusually  hard  day's  work.  I  hope  to  God  that 
your  health  will  steadily,  though  slowly  must  be  ex- 
pected, improve.  I  have  received  the  printed  Corrigenda, 
but  am  sorry  to  say  that  your  Manual  has  not  arrived. 
I  wrote  to  the  Geological  Society,  and  it  has  not  there 
arrived  for  the  Society,  as  I  heard  this  morning.  I  en- 
close a  photograph  as  you  request.  It  was  made  by  my 
eldest  son,  and  is  the  only  one  which  I  have.  One, 
almost  too  large  for  post,  has  been  made  in  London. 

My  health  of  late  has  been  very  indifferent,  and  I 
have  not  seen  one  man  of  science  for  months ;  so  I  really 
have  no  news.  Man  is  our  great  subject  at  present,  and 
Lyell  has  been  working  very  hard,  and  I  cannot  conceive 
why  his  book  has  not  appeared.  Murray  on  day  of  sale 
disposed  of  four  thousand  copies!  The  fossil  bird  with 
the  long  tail  and  fingers  to  its  wings  (I  hear  from  Falconer 
that  Owen  has  not  done  the  work  well)  is  by  far  the 
greatest  prodigy  of  recent  times.  This  is  a  great  case  for 
me,  as  no  group  was  so  isolated  as  birds ;  and  it  shows 
how  little  we  knew  what  lived  during  former  times. 

"  Oh,  how  I  wish  a  skeleton  could  be  found  in  your  so- 
called  red  sandstone  footstep  beds!  I  am  not  at  all 
surprised  that  you  had  not  read  the  Origin.  All  my 
friends  say  it  takes  much  thought  (which  really  surprises 
me),  and  most  have  had  to  read  it  two  or  three  times.  I 
am  at  present  at  work  on  dry  parts  and  dry  bones,  prepar- 
ing a  work  to  be  entitled  Variation  under  Domestication" 

312 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  CHARLES  DARWIN 

DANA  TO   DARWIN 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  February  5,  1863. 

"  The  arrival  of  your  photograph  has  given  me  great 
pleasure,  and  I  thank  you  warmly  for  it.  I  value  it  all 
the  more  that  it  was  made  by  your  son.  He  must  be  a 
proficient  in  the  photographic  art,  for  I  have  never  seen 
a  finer  black  tint  on  such  a  picture. 

"  I  hope  that  ere  this  you  have  the  copy  of  the  Geology 
(and  without  any  charge  of  expense,  as  was  my  intention). 
I  have  still  to  report  your  book  [  The  Origin  of  Species] 
unread ;  for  my  head  has  all  it  can  now  do  in  my  college 
duties. 

"  I  have  thought  that  I  ought  to  state  to  you  the 
ground  for  my  assertion,  on  page  602,  that  geology 
has  not  afforded  facts  that  sustain  the  view  that  the 
system  of  life  has  been  evolved  through  a  method  of 
development  from  species  to  species.  There  are  three 
difficulties  that  weigh  on  my  mind,  and  I  will  mention 
them: 

"  i.  The  absence,  in  the  great  majority  of  cases,  of 
those  transitions  by  small  differences  required  by  such  a 
theory.  As  the  life  of  America  and  Europe  has  been 
with  few  exceptions  independent,  one  of  the  other,  it  is 
right  to  look  for  the  transitions  on  each  continent  sepa- 
rately. The  reply  to  this  difficulty  is  that  the  science  of 
geology  is  comparatively  new  and  facts  are  daily  multiply- 
ing. But  this  admits  the  proposition  that  geology  does 
not  yet  afford  the  facts  required. 

"  2.  The  fact  of  the  commencement  of  types  in  some 
cases  by  their  higher  groups  of  species  instead  of  the 
lower, — as  fishes  began  with  the  selachians,  or  sharks, 
the  highest  order  of  fishes,  and  the  ganoids,  which  are 
above  the  true  level  of  the  fish,  between  fishes  and  rep- 
tiles. In  the  introduction  of  land  plants,  there  were 
acrogens  and  conifers  and  intermediate  types,  but  not 
the  lower  grade  of  mosses,  seemingly  the  natural  step- 
ping-stone from  the  seaweeds.  The  species,  Lepidodendra, 
sigillarids,  are  examples  of  those  intermediate  or  compre- 
hensive types  with  which  great  groups  often  began,  and 
seem  to  explain  the  true  relations  of  such  types;  but  they 
were  not  transitional  forms  in  the  system  of  life,  but  rather 
the  commencing  forms  of  a  type.  If  I  advocate  your 

3*3 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

theory,  I  think  I  should  take  the  ground  that  there  were 
certain  original  points  of  divergence  from  time  to  time 
introduced  into  the  system,  as  indicated  by  the  compre- 
hensive types. 

"  3.  The  fact  that  with  the  transitions  in  the  strata  and 
formations,  the  exterminations,  of  species  often  cut  the 
threads  of  genera,  families,  and  tribes, — and  sometimes, 
also,  of  the  higher  groups  of  orders,  classes,  and  even 
subkingdoms;  and  yet  the  threads  have  been  started 
again  in  new  species.  The  transition,  after  the  carbonif- 
erous age  was  one  apparently  of  complete  extermina- 
tion both  in  America  and  Europe,  when  all  threads  were 
cut ;  and  yet  life  was  reinstated,  and  partly  by  renewing 
with  species  old  genera  in  all  the  classes  and  subkingdoms, 
besides  adding  new  types. 

1  You  thus  see  that  I  have  not  spoken  positively  on 
page  602  without  thinking  I  had  some  foundation  for  it. 
I  speak  merely  of  the  geological  facts  that  bear  on  the 
(or  any)  theory  of  development,  not  of  facts  from  other 
sources. 

'  You  say  in  your  letter  that  according  to  Mr.  Fal- 
coner, Professor  Owen  has  not  done  his  work  well  with 
the  reptilian  bird.  I  should  be  very  glad  to  know  what 
are  Mr.  Falconer's  views.  I  should  like  also  to  have  his 
present  opinions  with  respect  to  the  mesozoic  mammals 
of  England,  or,  at  least,  to  be  informed  whether  he  sus- 
tains the  conclusions  he  first  published  on  the  subject. 
I  have  quoted  from  Owen  in  my  book  because  his  pub- 
lications were  more  recent,  not  that  I  have  greater  con- 
fidence in  his  opinions  or  knowledge." 

DARWIN  TO   DANA 

"  DOWN,  BROMLEY,  KENT,  February  20  [1863]. 

"  I  received  a  few  days  ago  your  book,  and  this  morn- 
ing your  pamphlet  on  Man  and  your  kind  letter.  I  am 
heartily  sorry  that  your  head  is  not  yet  strong,  and  what- 
ever you  do,  do  not  again  overwork  yourself.  Your  book 
[Manual  of  Geology]  is  a  monument  of  labor,  though  I 
have  as  yet  only  just  turned  over  the  pages.  It  evidently 
contains  a  mass  of  valuable  matter. 

'  With  respect  to  the  change  of  species,  I  fully  admit 
your  objections  are  perfectly  valid.  I  have  noticed  them, 

314 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  CHARLES  DARWIN 

excepting  one  of  separation  of  countries,  on  which  per- 
haps we  differ  a  little.  I  admit  that  if  we  really  now 
know  the  beginning  of  life  on  this  planet,  it  is  absolutely 
fatal  to  my  views.  I  admit  the  same  if  the  geological 
record  is  riot  excessively  imperfect ;  and  I  further  admit 
that  the  a  priori  probability  is  that  no  being  lived  below 
our  Cambrian  era. 

"  Nevertheless  I  grow  yearly  more  convinced  of  the 
general  (with  much  incidental  error)  truth  of  my  views. 
I  believe  in  this  from  rinding  that  my  views  embrace  so 
many  phenomena  and  explain  them  to  a  large  extent. 
I  am  continually  pleased  by  hearing  of  naturalists  (within 
the  last  month  I  have  heard  of  four)  who  have  come 
round  to  a  large  extent  to  the  belief  of  the  modification 
of  species.  As  my  book  has  been  lately  somewhat  at- 
tended to,  perhaps  it  would  have  been  better  if,  when 
you  condemned  all  such  views,  you  had  stated  that  you 
had  not  been  able  yet  to  read  it.  But  pray  do  not  sup- 
pose that  I  think  for  one  instant  that,  with  your  strong 
and  slowly  acquired  convictions  and  immense  knowledge, 
you  could  have  been  converted.  The  utmost  that  I 
could  have  hoped  would  have  been  that  you  might  pos- 
sibly have  been  here  or  there  staggered.  Indeed,  I 
should  not  much  value  any  sudden  conversion,  for  I 
remember  well  how  many  years  I  fought  against  my  pres- 
ent belief.  .  .  ." 

DANA  TO  DARWIN 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  May  23,  1872. 

"  I  have  addressed  to  you  a  copy  of  my  book  on  Corals 
and  Coral  Islands,  and  have  commissioned  my  son,  Ed- 
ward S.  Dana,  to  present  himself  along  with  it,  and  also 
to  assure  you  of  my  unfailing  esteem,  and  my  admiration 
for  your  labors  in  behalf  of  Science.  My  son,  having 
graduated  at  our  University,  goes  to  Europe  to  continue 
his  studies  in  Science  next  autumn  in  Germany.  In  the 
meantime  he  looks  forward  to  excursions  during  the  sum- 
mer in  the  Alps,  as  one  means  of  benefiting  his  health, 
now  somewhat  impaired. 

I  was  sorry  that  your  sons  did  not  visit  New  Haven 
when  on  this  continent,  and  give  me  a  chance  to  show 
my  appreciation  of  their  father." 

315 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

III 
CORRESPONDENCE   WITH   LOUIS   AGASSIZ 

The  arrival  in  this  country  of  Louis  Agassiz,  the  Swiss 
naturalist,  gave  a  marvellous  impulse  to  the  study  of 
natural  history.  He  had  been  a  correspondent  of  Profes- 
sor Silliman,  certainly  since  January,  1835,  and  when  ten 
years  later  a  transatlantic  voyage  seemed  probable,  in  the 
company  of  the  Prince  of  Canino,  the  student  of  glaciers 
and  fossils  turned  to  Silliman  for  counsel.  The  illness  of 
the  Prince  broke  up  his  project.  Soon,  however,  Hum- 
boldt  induced  the  King  of  Prussia  to  provide  the  requisite 
means,  so  that  to  this  enlightened  monarch,  America 
owes  Agassiz.  He  arrived  in  1846,  was  invited  to  deliver 
a  course  of  lectures  in  the  Lowell  Institute,  received  from 
Professor  Bache  special  facilities  for  studying  ocean  fauna 
on  one  of  the  vessels  of  the  Coast  Survey,  and  was  soon 
persuaded  to  accept  a  professorship  of  zoology  in  the 
newly  founded  Lawrence  Scientific  School  of  Harvard. 
As  early  as  1847,  before  going  to  Boston,  he  came  to  New 
Haven,  and  made  the  personal  acquaintance  of  those 
whom  he  knew  so  well  by  name,  especially  of  his  vener- 
able correspondent,  whom  he  names  "  the  dean  of  Amer- 
ican science,"  Professor  Silliman,  his  son,  and  his 
son-in-law,  Professor  Dana. 

The  friendship  of  Agassiz,  which  was  soon  followed  by 
that  of  Guyot,  exerted  a  powerful  influence  Upon  Dana's 
intellectual  growth.  Previously,  Gray  had  been  the  only 
naturalist,  outside  of  New  Haven,  with  whom  he  had  been 
on  terms  of  scientific  intimacy  as  with  a  peer,  for  jnost  of 
the  other  naturalists  whom  he  knew  were  younger  men, 
or  were  restricted  in  their  pursuits.  Agassiz,  like  Darwin, 
was  an  investigator  in  broad  domains.  Henceforward 
they  met  not  infrequently,  and  the  exchange  of  letters 
was  constant.  Agassiz  became  one  of  the  contributors 

316 


CORRESPONDENCE   WITH    L.    AGASSIZ 

to  and  one  of  the  associate  editors  of  the  Journal.  He 
plied  Dana  with  questions,  and  commented  freely  upon 
his  writings.  Both  were  such  firm  theists  that  they  ap- 
proached the  new  doctrines  of  evolution  from  the  same 
direction.  Le  Conte,  who  has  likewise  won  distinction 
in  wide  fields  of  observation,  has  pointed  out  the  differ- 
ence between  his  older  friends,  one  of  whom  had  been  his 
teacher.* 

Dana's  letters  to  Agassiz  have  not  been  recovered.  Of 
those  received  from  Agassiz  the  pile  is  almost  unbroken. 
This  is  the  earliest  that  has  come  to  light.  It  was  written 
shortly  after  his  first  visit  to  New  Haven. 

AGASSIZ  TO   DANA,   1847 

"  What  have  you  thought  of  me  all  this  time,  not 
having  written  a  single  line, — neither  to  you  nor  to  Pro- 
fessor Silliman, — after  the  kind  reception  I  have  met  with 
by  your  whole  family?  Pray  excuse  me;  consider,  if 
you  please,  the  difficulty  under  which  I  labor,  having 
every  day  to  look  after  hundreds  of  things  which  always 
carry  me  beyond  usual  hours  of  working,  when  I  am  then 
so  much  tired  that  I  can  think  of  nothing.  Nevertheless 
it  is  a  delightful  life  to  be  allowed  to  examine  in  a  fresh 
state  so  many  things  of  which  I  had  but  an  imperfect 
knowledge  from  books.  The  Boston  market  supplies  me 
with  more  than  I  can  examine.  Since  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  you  I  have  been  very  successful  in  collecting 
specimens,  especially  in  New  York  and  Albany;  but  I 
pity  very  much  to  have  not  yet  been  able  to  visit  Profes- 
sor Hitchcock.  In  Washington  I  have  been  delighted  to 
see  the  collections  of  the  Exploring  Expedition.  They 
entitle  you  to  the  highest  thanks  from  all  scientific 
naturalists,  and  I  hope  it  will  also  be  felt  in  the  same 
manner  by  your  countrymen  at  large.  I  have  seen  and 
examined  with  some  care  your  fossil  fish  with  scattered 
scales.  I  was  so  little  prepared  to  see  anything  like  that, 
that  I  did  not  know  it  from  your  figure ;  it  is  a  new  genus 

*  See  Chapter. 
317 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

from  a  family  of  which  almost  nothing  is  known  in  a  fossil 
state,  the  tones  cuirasses  of  Cuvier.  ...  I  long  for 
the  opportunity  of  studying  your  fossil  shells;  as  soon  as 
I  have  gone  over  my  Lowell  lectures  I  hope  to  be  able  to 
move.  I  shall  only  pack  up  what  I  have  already  col- 
lected, but  I  cannot  yet  tell  you  precisely  the  time. 

"  I  began  studying  your  Zoophytes,  but  it  is  so  rich  a 
work  that  I  proceed  slowly.  For  years  I  have  not  learned 
so  much  from  a  book  as  from  yours.  As  I  soon  saw  I 
would  not  be  able  to  go  through  it  in  a  short  time,  I  sent 
a  short  preliminary  report  to  one  of  our  most  diffused 
papers,  Preussische  Staatszeitung,  giving  only  the  general 
impression  of  your  work,  and  I  shall  send  to  Erichsen  a 
fuller  scientific  report  after  I  have  done  with  the  whole 
volume." 

AGASSIZ  TO  DANA 

"  CHARLESTON,  January  26,  1852. 

"It  is  but  for  the  pleasure  of  writing  a  few  lines  to 
you  I  take  the  pen  this  evening,  that  you  should  at  least 
know  I  think  often  of  you  on  these  shores;  and  how 
could  I  do  otherwise,  when  I  find  daily  new  small  crus- 
tacea,  which  remind  me  of  the  important  work  you  are 
now  preparing  upon  that  subject?  Of  course  of  the  larger 
ones  there  is  nothing  to  be  found  after  Professor  Gibbes, 
but  among  the  lower  orders  there  are  a  great  many  in  store 
for  a  microscopic  observer.  I  have  only  to  regret  that  I 
cannot  apply  myself  more  closely.  I  find  my  nervous 
system  so  overexcited  that  any  continued  exertion  makes 
me  feverish.  So  I  go  about  much  as  the  weather  allows, 
and  gather  material  for  better  times.  Several  interesting 
medusae  have  been  already  observed, — among  others,  the 
entire  metamorphosis  and  alternate  generation  of  a  new 
species  of  my  genus  Tiaropsis.  You  will  be  pleased  to 
hear  that  here  as  well  as  at  the  North,  Tiaropsis  is  the 
free  medusa  of  a  campanularia.  Mr.  Clark,  one  of  my 
assistants,  has  made  very  good  drawings  of  all  its  stages 
of  growth,  and  of  various  other  hydroid  medusae  peculiar 
to  this  coast.  Mr.  Stimpson,  another  very  promising 
young  naturalist,  who  has  been  connected  with  me  for 
some  time  in  the  same  capacity,  draws  the  Crustacea  and 

318 


CORRESPONDENCE   WITH    L.    AGASSIZ 

bryozoa,  of  which  there  are  also  a  good  many  new  here. 
The  mollusks  have  been  his  favorites  for  several  years 
past,  and  he  has  lately  published  an  excellent  revision  of 
the  Testacea  of  New  England,  particularly  valuable  for  the 
extensive  observations  he  has  collected  upon  their  geo- 
graphical distribution  and  the  depths  at  which  they  occur. 
When  you  receive  his  book  I  would  thank  you  to  mention 
it  favorably  in  the  Journal ;  it  deserves  it  fully,  for  the 
great  accuracy  and  care  with  which  the  facts  there  con- 
densed have  been  gathered.  My  son,  and  my  old  friend 
Burkhardt,  are  also  with  me  (upon  Sullivan's  Island), 
and  look  after  the  large  species,  so  that  I  shall  probably 
have  greatly  increased  my  information  upon  the  fauna 
of  the  Atlantic  coast  by  the  time  I  return  to  Cambridge. 
In  town,  where  I  go  three  times  a  week  to  deliver  lectures 
at  the  Medical  College,  and  in  the  evening  before  a  mixed 
audience,  I  have  my  whole  female  family,  so  that  nothing 
would  be  wanting  in  my  happiness  if  my  health  was  only 
better.  I  have  heard  so  little  of  your  own  circle,  since 
the  Professors  Silliman  returned  from  Europe,  that  I 
should  be  delighted  to  receive  a  few  lines  from  you,  as 
soon  as  you  can  spare  me  a  few  moments.  What  a  pity 
that  a  man  cannot  work  as  much  as  he  would  like;  or  at 
least  accomplish  what  he  aims  at!  But  no  doubt  it  is 
best  it  should  be  so ;  there  is  no  harm  in  being  compelled 
by  natural  necessities  to  limit  our  ambition ;  on  the  con- 
trary, the  better  sides  of  nature  are  thus  not  allowed  to 
go  to  sleep.  However,  I  cannot  but  regret  that  I  am 
unable  at  this  time  to  trace  more  extensively  a  subject  for 
which  I  would  have  ample  opportunities  here,  the  anat- 
omy of  the  echinoderms,  and  also  the  embryology  of 
the  lower  animals  in  general.  I  regret  this  the  more 
since  I  wanted  to  trace,  on  a  larger  scale  than  I  have  had 
an  opportunity  before,  the  transformation  of  intestinal 
worms,  for  which  it  is  necessary  to  have  constantly  a 
large  supply  of  specimens  on  hand.  But,  however 
limited  my  investigations  upon  this  subject  are,  I  have 
already  obtained  a  very  important  result.  You  may  re- 
member a  paper  I  read  at  the  meeting  of  Cambridge  in 
August,  1849,  m  which  I  showed  that  the  embryo  which 
is  hatched  from  the  egg  of  planaria  is  a  genuine  polygas- 
tric  animalcule  of  the  genus  Paramecium,  as  now  char- 
acterized by  Ehrenberg.  You  have  certainly  Steenstrup's 

319 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA. 

work  on  alternate  generations,  and  will  find  there  that  in 
the  extraordinary  succession  of  alternate  generations, 
ending  with  the  production  of  cercaria  and  its  metamor- 
phosis into  distoma,  a  link  was  wanting — the  knowledge 
of  the  young  hatched  from  the  egg  of  distoma.  The 
deficiency  I  can  now  fill.  It  is  another  infusorium,  a 
genuine  opalina.  With  such  facts  before  us,  there  is  no 
longer  any  doubt  left  respecting  the  character  of  all  those 
polygastrica ;  they  are  the  earliest  larval  condition  of 
worms.  And  since  I  have  ascertained  that  the  varticellae 
are  true  bryozoa,  there  is  not  a  single  type  of  these 
microscopic  beings  left  which  can  hereafter  be  considered 
as  forming  a  class  by  itself  in  the  animal  kingdom.  Under 
whatever  name  and  whatever  circumscription  it  has  ap- 
peared or  may  be  retained  to  this  day,  the  class  of  Infusoria 
is  now  entirely  dissolved,  and  of  Ehrenberg's  painful  in- 
vestigations the  descriptive  details  alone  can  be  available 
in  future,  but  the  whole  systematic  arrangement  is  gone. 
This  result  has  another  interesting  bearing;  it  shows  the 
correctness  of  Blanchard's  view  respecting  planariae  and 
tneir  close  relation  to  the  intestinal  worm  known  under 
the  name  of  trematoda.  Indeed,  they  belong  to  one 
and  the  same  natural  group." 


AGASSIZ  TO  DANA 
Classification  of  Crustacea 

"  CHARLESTON,  Feb.  9,  1852. 

"  Many  thanks  for  your  very  instructive  remarks  on 
the  classification  of  Crustacea ;  they  are  the  more  welcome 
since  I  pay  as  much  attention  as  I  can  to  that  class  now, 
especially  with  the  view  of  tracing  their  metamorphoses 
in  reference  to  classification.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the 
principle  which  has  guided  you  is  identical  or  nearly  so 
in  its  results  with  that  of  embryonic  changes.  I  would 
offer  a  single  suggestion.  I  do  not  know  sufficiently  the 
specialities  of  carcinology  to  say  positively  that  the 
Cumce,  as  a  group,  must  be  suppressed,  but  I  can  state 
with  confidence  that  all  the  species  of  that  genus  which 
I  have  had  an  opportunity  to  examine  alive,  and  I  have 

320 


CORRESPONDENCE   WITH    L.    AGASSIZ 

watched  three,  are  young  of  Palcemon,  Crangon,  and 
Hippolyte.  \  have  full  memoranda  upon  this  subject  in 
Cambridge.  Nebalia  is  also  a  genus  based  upon  embryonic 
forms,  as  this  is  the  case  with  one  species  lately  observed 
here.  The  three  Cumce  seen  at  the  North  were  actually 
hatched  from  eggs  of  Crangon  septemspinosus,  Palcemon 
vulgaris,  and  Hippolyte  amleata. ' ' 


The  Albany  University 

"  I  deeply  regret  that  I  cannot  be  in  Albany  with 
you ;  but  shall  write  a  few  lines  to  the  committee.  I 
regret  very  much  that  such  application  is  that  for  which 
I  am  now  least  fit,  otherwise  I  would  lay  out  a  full  plan 
in  accordance  with  my  experience  in  teaching.  It  is  too 
important  a  subject  to  be  neglected  by  us,  whenever  we 
are  called  upon  to  express  our  views.  The  chief  points 
to  be  settled  seem  to  me:  Independence  of  the  institu- 
tion from  political  and  religious  sectarianism,  the  con- 
trol of  the  scientific  interests  of  the  institution  in  the 
hands  of  the  faculty;  its  pecuniary  affairs  entrusted  to 
trustees,  the  professors  to  have  no  hand  in  that.  But  to 
secure  the  full  attention  of  the  professors  to  their  duties, 
competition  in  teaching  should  be  as  free  as  possible, 
allowing  every  young  man  of  talent  to  come  forward  as 
free  teachers  and  compete  with  the  regular  professors. 
This  would  create  a  nursery  of  professors  for  other  institu- 
tions and  prepare  the  rising  generation  to  enter  upon  a 
wider  circle  of  usefulness.  Such  free  teachers  to  have  no 
fixed  salary,  but  only  student  fees.  The  regular  profes- 
sors a  liberal  fixed  salary.  It  would  be  desirable  that  it 
be  fixed  so  high  as  to  require  no  addition  from  fees,  and 
that  the  management  of  these  was  left  entirely  to  the 
trustees  for  the  best  of  the  institution.  Liberal  oppor- 
tunities to  the  library,  museums,  laboratories,  etc.,  so 
fixed  that  no  professor  would  be  trammelled  by  envy  or 
jealousy.  Attendance  on  lectures  entirely  at  the  option 
of  the  students,  under  the  advice  of  the  professors. 
Lectures  to  be  occasionally  delivered  by  the  different 
professors  upon  the  course  students  ought  to  pursue  in 
their  studies.'* 

321 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 
AGASSIZ   TO   DANA 

How  Far  are  A  nimals  A  boriginal  f 

"  CAMBRIDGE,  July  8,  1853. 

"  I  have  never  felt  more  keenly  than  I  do  now,  since 
my  inability  to  work  hard  leaves  me  time  for  writing  let- 
ters, how  much  I  have  lo'st  by  not  attempting  to  keep  up 
a  regular  correspondence  with  you.  I  was  delighted  to- 
day to  learn  from  you  that  you  are  satisfied  that  genera 
are  not  mere  artful  devices  of  naturalists  to  register  their 
observations  upon  species.  You  are  the  first  naturalist 
I  have  found  who  had  that  confidence ;  but,  as  you  say, 
it  requires  more  knowledge  to  arrive  at  that  conviction 
than  most  of  our  zoologists  possess.  To  me  genera  ap- 
pear like  general  portions  in  the  mind  of  the  Creator,  of 
which  species  are  only  the  different  expressions.  But 
who  would  grant  that  except  those  who  recognize  in 
nature  the  thought  of  a  personal  God  ?  You  are  not  so 
much  at  leisure  now  as  I  am  obliged  to  be,  so  do  not 
think  that  I  expect  an  answer  to  all  my  notes,  but  grant 
me  the  pleasure  to  write  as  often  as  you  can.  I  have 
been  lately  devising  some  method  to  ascertain  how  far 
animals  are  truly  autochtone  and  how  far  they  have  ex- 
tended their  primitive  boundaries.  I  will  attempt  to  test 
that  question  with  Long  Island,  the  largest  of  all  the 
islands  along  our  coast.  For  this  purpose  I  would  for 
the  present  limit  myself  to  the  fresh-water  fishes  and  shells, 
and  for  the  sake  of  comparison  collect  carefully  all  the 
species  living  in  the  rivers  of  Connecticut,  New  York,  and 
New  Jersey,  and  ascertain  whether  they  are  identical 
with  those  of  the  island.  Whatever  may  come  out  of 
such  an  investigation,  it  will  at  all  events  furnish  interest- 
ing data  upon  the  local  distribution  of  the  species.  Could 
you  for  this  object  give  me  names  of  some  gentlemen — 
they  need  not  be  naturalists — who  could  undertake  to  put 
up  for  me,  in  alcohol,  all  the  fishes  and  shells  found 
above  tide-level  in  Thames  River  and  its  tributaries,  in 
the  Connecticut,  Farmington  River,  Housatonic,  and  any 
watercourse  upon  which  you  may  chance  to  have  intelli- 
gent and  obliging  acquaintances  ?  I  have  already  applied 
to  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  and  I  am  almost  confident 

322 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH    L.    AGASSIZ 

that  something  interesting  will  come  out,  for  there  is  one 
feature  of  importance  in  the  case, — the  present  surface  of 
Long  Island  is  not  older  than  the  drift  period ;  all  its  in- 
habitants must  therefore  have  been  introduced  since  that 
time.  I  shall  see  that  I  obtain  similar  collections  from 
the  upper  course  of  the  Connecticut,  to  ascertain  whether 
here,  as  in  the  Mississippi,  the  species  differ  at  different 
heights  of  the  river  basin." 

AGASSIZ  TO   DANA 

A  cknowledgments 

"  May  28, 1855. 

"  You  did,  of  course,  not  know  that  the  28th  of  May 
was  my  forty-eighth  birthday  and  that  you  were  sending 
me  the  most  magnificent  birthday  present  I  could  have 
received,  which  came  just  in  due  time  for  the  occasion. 
Many,  many  thanks,  my  dear  friend,  for  your  invaluable 
gift;  I  praise  it  for  its  own  intrinsic  merit,  but  I  am 
equally  delighted  at  its  appearance  as  the  work  of  an 
American  scientific  man.  Posterity  will  award  to  you 
the  merit  of  having  made  the  name  of  America  respect- 
able in  the  highest  scientific  circles,  for  Franklin  was 
always  claimed  an  ex  parte  European.  I  am  happy  to 
join  you  with  my  own  efforts." 

AGASSIZ  TO   DANA 

Classification  of  Zoophytes 

"  NAHANT,  August  7,  1855. 

'  There  is  one  fundamental  feature  in  your  work  on 
Zoophytes  which  seems  to  have  escaped  notice  of  all  those 
who  are  now  writing  upon  corals,  viz. :  that  you  were  the 
first  to  combine  the  animals  which  constitute  the  class  of 
Polypi  into  one  and  the  same  natural  division ;  for  Milne- 
Edwards  still  placed  actinoids,  halcyonoids,  and  hy- 
droids  as  co-ordinate  groups  before  the  publication  of 
your  great  work;  although  he  now  undertakes  to  make 
it  appear  as  if  his  classification  and  yours  were  essentially 
identical, 

323 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

"  I  may  be  able  to  prepare  something  for  the  meeting 
upon  classification  in  general,  and  especially  upon  the 
real  existence  in  nature  of  those  divisions  we  call  classes, 
orders,  families,  and  genera,  in  opposition  to  those  who 
would  consider  such  divisions  as  mere  devices  to  aid  us 
in  our  investigations.  I  hold  that  these  groups  do  not 
merely  differ  in  degree,  but  in  kind,  and  that  characters 
which  may  distinguish  classes  do  not  apply  as  character- 
istics of  orders,  however  limited  in  extent,  nor  these  to 
families  or  genera,  and  that  all  these  higher  divisions 
exist  in  nature  in  the  same  manner  as  species  do,  and 
that  it  is  idle  to  pretend  that  species  as  such  have  a  more 
tangible  existence.  Think  this  over,  please." 

AGASSIZ  TO   DANA 

Science  and  Religion 

"  July,  1856. 

"  I  had  to  wait  for  a  leisure  moment  to  read  your 
second  article,  being  at  present  entirely  absorbed  with 
my  printing  of  the  first  volume  of  the  contributions.  I, 
and  we  all,  are  greatly  indebted  to  you  for  fighting  so 
earnestly  the  cause  of  our  independence  versus  clerical 
arrogance.  No  one  can  do  it  so  effectually  as  you  ;  from 
me  or  any  one  else  who  does  not  profess  to  be  a  member 
of  the  church  it  would  have  no  weight  with  church  people 
at  large.  I  am  sorry  to  find  that  this  clerical  spirit  is  still 
alive,  as  bitter,  vehement,  and  overbearing  as  in  the  worst 
times  of  religious  bigotry.  It  confirms  me  in  my  deter- 
mination to  have  nothing  to  do  with  church  matters  and 
church  organizations.  I  do  not  see  but  it  must  come  to 
this,  that  each  and  every  one  must  settle  religious  affairs 
for  himself,  without  any  regard  to  others ;  for,  after  all, 
religion  is  a  personal  relation  to  God,  and  we  derive  as 
little  comfort  from  the  interference  of  others  with  refer- 
ence to  our  intercourse  with  our  Maker,  as  we  do  in 
matters  of  affection. 

"As  to  your  allusion  to  my  paper  in  Nott  and  Glid- 
don's  Types  of  Mankind,  I  can  have  no  objection  at  your 
finding  it  out  of  place  there.  Yet  I  do  not  regret  con- 
tributing it.  Nott  is  a  man  after  my  heart,  for  whose 

324 


CORRESPONDENCE   WITH   A.    GUYOT 

private  character  I  have  the  kindest  regard.  He  is  a  true 
man,  and  if  you  knew  what  he  has  had  to  suffer  from  the 
criminations  of  bigots,  like  Professor  Lewis,  you  would 
not  wonder  at  his  enmity  to  such  men.  He  has  dealt 
with  them  in  about  the  same  manner  as  you  have  with 
Professor  Lewis.  All  the  difference  is  that  he  has  no 
sympathy  with  their  church.  But  I  know  him  to  be  a 
man  of  truth  and  faith.  Gliddon  is  worse,  especially  in 
his  utterance,  and  has  allowed  his  resentment  to  mislead 
him  to  personalities  which  all  his  friends  blame.  But  I 
would  rather  meet  a  man  like  him,  who  knows  as  much 
as  he  does  about  antiquity,  and  who  cares  to  investigate 
it,  than  any  of  those  who  shut  their  eyes  against  evidence. 
My  book  proceeds  to  my  entire  satisfaction.  I  hope 
to  have  the  first  volume  out  towards  the  fall.  I  long  to 
have  you  read  the  introduction,  and  if  the  publishers  will 
let  me  have  a  copy  before  the  publication  of  the  whole 
volume,  I  will  send  it  on  to  you.  I  wish  it  had  been  in 
your  hands  before  you  wrote  your  second  article." 

The  remainder  of  this  letter  is  wanting  in  general  in- 
terest. 

IV 

CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  ARNOLD  GUYOT 

Guyot  became  a  friend  of  Dana's  soon  after  his  arrival 
in  this  country,  in  1848,  and  the  intimacy  continued  un- 
broken till  the  death  of  Guyot  in  1884.  One  of  Dana's 
sons  bears  the  name  of  Arnold  Guyot,  and  the  eulogy  of 
Guyot  before  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences  was 
written  by  Dana.  Respecting  Guyot's  Earth  and  Man, 
Dana  wrote : 

'  Professor  Guyot's  Earth  and  Man  should  make  part 
of  the  course  of  preparatory  or  later  study  of  every 
American  student.  It  gives,  in  brief  form,  broad  and 
comprehensive  views  of  the  earth's  features  and  climates; 
draws  out,  in  a  forcible  but  simple  style,  a  vivid  portrait- 
ure of  the  continents  and  oceans,  exhibiting  their  physical 

325 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

resources  and  their  relations  to  the  living  species  inhabit- 
ing them ;  brings  in  enough  of  geology  to  show  how  the 
existing  characteristics  have  come  out  of  the  past,  and  to 
illustrate  the  general  laws  of  progress ;  and  then  explains 
the  relations  of  the  continents  and  their  different  countries 
to  man's  history,  in  a  general  survey  of  the  progress  of 
civilization.  The  student  gathers  new  ideas  from  every 
page,  and  before  he  has  closed  the  work  has  learned,  as 
never  before,  to  appreciate  the  exalted  position  of 
America  in  the  '  Geographical  March  of  Humanity 
through  the  Ages.'  No  one,  young  or  old,  can  read  it 
without  great  benefit  to  his  moral  as  well  as  his  intel- 
lectual nature." 

DANA  TO   GUYOT 

"NEW  HAVEN,  Jan.  30,  1851. 

"  I  was  much  gratified  by  your  kind  letter  of  the  2/th 
inst.  Your  visit  here  gave  us  so  much  pleasure  that  we 
shall  always  esteem  it  a  kindness  to  us  whenever  you  can 
come  again  to  our  house  and  home.  I  am  much  obliged 
by  your  sending  a  copy  of  the  Zoophytes  to  Professor 
Pictet,  and  gratified  that  the  chapters  you  referred  to 
were  found  of  interest.  The  Geology  has  not  yet  been 
noticed  here  or  abroad,  and  nothing  would  please  me 
more  than  your  review  of  any  part  of  it. 

'  We  have  been  expecting  that  Professor  Silliman,  Jr., 
would  draw  up  for  the  Journal  an  article  on  the  Mam- 
moth Cave ;  and  but  just  a  few  days  since  we  learned  that 
he  would  not  find  time  for  it.  We  should  therefore  be 
glad  to  have  the  letter  to  you  for  the  Journal  of  Science. 
I  doubt  not  that  he  would  be  glad  to  have  it  appear  in 
the  Bibliotheque  Universelle,  and  would  feel  greatly  in- 
debted to  you  for  communicating  it  to  that  journal.  Our 
March  number  is  so  far  advanced  that  we  shall  not  require 
it  for  printing  under  three  weeks,  when  we  shall  begin 
with  the  May  number. 

"  I  have  recently  endeavored  to  explain  your  views 
upon  the  harmony  of  Science  and  the  Mosaic  account  of 
the  Creation,  before  a  few  gentlemen,  but  wished  much 
that  you  were  here  to  do  the  subject  justice.  Professor 
Mitchell  has  also  been  lecturing  on  this  point,  and  takes 
the  same  basis  for  his  explanations — the  nebular  theory. 

326 


LETTERS   TO   GUYOT 

But  he  is  only  an  astronomer — no  geologist,  chemist,  or 
zoologist,  and  his  views  are  therefore  imperfect  in  detail 
and  wanting  in  philosophical  spirit.  There  is  something 
exceedingly  sublime  in  the  command  '  Sit  lux,'  when  we 
consider  that  light  is  the  first  index  of  chemical  combina- 
tion and  molecular  change — and  therefore  the  command 
is  equivalent  to  '  Let  force  act/  The  vivifying  impulse 
thus  given  to  the  particles  before  inert  would  send  a  flash 
of  light  throughout  the  universe.  This  point,  which  you 
mention  in  your  explanations,  Professor  Mitchell  did  not 
seem  to  comprehend  in  its  full  signification.  I  hope  the 
time  may  come  when  you  will  speak  for  yourself  here  on 
the  subject." 

DANA  TO   GUYOT 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  June  29,  1861. 

"  In  mailing  for  you  a  copy  of  my  pamphlet  on  Cephali- 
zation,  I  wish  to  send  also  one  word  more  of  prompting 
with  regard  to  your  article  on  Classification.  Our  Septem- 
ber number  goes  to  press  in  a  few  days;  will  it  not  be 
ready  for  its  pages  ? 

;<  I  have  just  been  looking  over  Draper's  new  work  on 
the  Intellectual  Development  of  Europe.  It  is  a  work  of 
much  thought,  but  a  misshapen  mass,  with  the  spirit  left 
out.  It  makes  me  long,  more  than  ever,  for  the  publica- 
tion of  your  views  on  the  philosophy  of  history. 

The  world  is  summoning  you  to  action  in  the  great 
conflict  with  the  materializing  influences  of  the  day.  I 
know  you  are  in  full  action  ;  but  there  is  need  of  that 
wider  sweep  of  your  power  which  can  be  gained  only 
through  your  pen  and  the  printer's  press. 

I  shall  have  something  farther  to  say  on  cephaliza- 
tion,  in  connection  with  embryonic  development,  in  a 
future  number  of  the  Journal  of  Science." 

DANA   TO    GUYOT 

"NEW  HAVEN,  April  18,  1863. 

"  Am  I  right  in  saying  that  you  first  brought  forward 
the  idea  that  the  human  race  would  necessarily  have 
sunk  to  a  state  of  degradation  as  the  first  stage  after  cre- 
ation, on  account  of  man's  primal  ignorance,  together 

327 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

with  his  natural  selfishness  and  vicious  properties  ? 
Please  drop  me  a  line  by  return  mail,  as  I  have  an  allu- 
sion to  the  subject  in  a  brief  notice  of  Huxley  in  the 
Journal  of  Science. 

"  When  shall  we  have,  for  the  Journal,  your  first  article 
on  Classification  ?  The  debasing  association  of  Man  with 
the  Quadrumana,  which  so  many  zoologists  are  now  ad- 
mitting, calls  for  immediate  action  on  the  part  of  those 
who  know  what  is  truth ;  and  I  want  very  much  to  have 
you  speak  out: — then  the  interests  of  science  at  large 
require  your  thoughts." 

DANA  TO   GUYOT 

'  NEW  HAVEN,  Sept.  29,  1863. 

"  I  was  very  glad  to  hear  once  more  from  you,  but 
sorry  to  learn  that  impaired  health  had  kept  you  silent. 
I  supposed  that  you  were  probably  away  on  your  sum- 
mer tour  of  exploration.  I  do  not  wonder  at  your  break- 
down ;  for  you  were  doing  the  work  of  three  persons  last 
winter.  But  it  will  not  do  for  me  to  lecture  you  on  the 
subject  of  health.  This  you  would  repeat  after  me  em- 
phatically if  you  knew  what  I  have  been  at  the  past  two 
or  three  months  and  what  done ;  that  I  have  thirty-seven 
pages  in  type  of  my  own  in  the  next  number  of  the 
Journal — pages  that  have  cost  me  a  vast  deal  of  thought. 
But  I  could  not  help  it.  My  head  would  think  and  work 
over  the  developing  ideas,  and  I  saw  rest  ahead  only  in 
giving  it  play  until  the  mouse  was  brought  forth. 

4  The  subject  is  Classification  of  Animals  as  based  on 
Cephalization.  I  was  afraid  that  you  would  think  me 
encroaching  on  a  topic  we  had  worked  on  together.  But 
this  cephalization  kept  working  out  new  and  unexpected 
results,  and  I  thought  my  true  course  was  to  publish 
them  in  detail — and  then  you  would  have  them  to  adjust 
into  your  more  ideal  system.  The  whole  of  the  article 
has  been  evolved  since  summer  began,  except  what  ap- 
pears in  my  former  articles.  I  will  send  you  a  copy  as 
soon  as  it  is  all  struck  off.  I  lay  out  at  length  the  general 
laws  bearing  on  classification,  with  full  explanations,  and 
then  give  the  classes,  orders,  and  some  of  the  tribes  of 
the  animal  kingdom,  as  they  appear  to  be  in  nature,  in 
the  light  of  the  principle  illustrated, 

328 


LETTERS   TO   GUYOT 


"  I  think  when  you  hear  the  results  of  Prof.  J.  D. 
Whitney's  survey  of  California,  you  will  modify  your 
opinion  with  regard  to  the  Pacific  border  of  our  continent. 
He  finds  that  the  supposed  carboniferous  beds  of  the 
Shartz  region  are  mesozoic;  finds  cretaceous  rocks  and 
fossils  in  many  parts  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  and  inclines 
to  the  opinion  that  the  mountains  were  not  thrown  up 
before  the  later  cretaceous  or  the  tertiary.  I  have 
known  his  facts  for  the  year  past,  but  have  no  permission 
to  publish  them  before  his  own  report  is  issued.  I  incline 
to  the  opinion  that  the  western  sides  of  the  continents  are 
alike  in  the  age  of  their  highest  mountains ;  and  the  eastern 
alike  in  the  age  of  their  highest.  But  this  is  something 
for  the  future  to  determine. 

"  We  shall  be  happy  to  have  anything  from  you  for  the 
Journal,  and  hope  you  will  send  on  the  few  pages  from 
your  Earth  and  Man. 

"  My  labors  have  worn  a  little  on  my  health  and  make 
me  feel  the  need  of  complete  rest  for  two  or  three  weeks ; 
and  I  intend  to  take  it." 


DANA  TO   GUYOT 

"NEW  HAVEN,  February  14,  1865. 

"  I  had  hoped  for  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you  in  Wash- 
ington, at  the  meeting  of  the  National  Academy,  and  did 
not  know  till  recently  that  you  were  not  there.  I  was  not 
disabled  by  any  special  illness  at  the  time,  but  saw  plainly 
that  it  would  not  do  for  me  to  play  President  at  Wash- 
ington during  a  brief  vacation,  and  then  return  to  my 
geological  course  here.  Could  I  have  had  a  week's 
recruiting  after  the  meeting,  I  should  probably  have 
attended  it. 

'  I  wish  most  heartily  I  were  out  of  the  office  of  Vice- 
President,  and  I  think  I  shall  take  an  early  opportunity 
to  abdicate.  It  makes  the  meetings,  now  that  Bache  is 
unwell,  times  of  great  fatigue  for  me,  and  of  no  satisfac- 
tory intercourse  with  friends  on  the  ground.  I  dislike 
the  duty,  and  care  nothing  for  the  honor  of  it.  You  will 
not  be  surprised,  therefore,  if  my  resignation  is  handed 
in  not  long  hence.  .  .  . 

329 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

"  Now  that  you  have  a  full  report  of  your  lectures  on 
Genesis,  I  hope  it  may  not  be  long  before  they  are  in 
print.  I  desire  greatly  to  see  your  thoughts — so  pro- 
found, so  full  of  good  for  man  in  these  days  of  increasing 
scepticism — circulating  widely. 

"  I  met  Hall  at  Poughkeepsie  last  fall,  and  the  subject 
of  a  geological  map  came  up,  as  we  had  corresponded  at 
several  different  times  on  the  subject,  and  I  mentioned 
reasons  why  he  should  publish  one  at  once,  but  not  be- 
lieving anything  would  come  of  it.  ... 

"  I  received  a  letter  from  Lesquereux  about  the  Ohio 
survey,  and  wrote  at  once,  giving  him  a  strong  recom- 
mendation as  the  man  for  the  survey ;  and  I  hope  he  may 
not  be  disappointed  with  regard  to  it. 

"  I  have  just  passed  my  fifty-second  birthday — on  the 
1 2th ;  and  I  feel  older  at  that  age  than  I  ever  expected  to 
— partly  because  I  am  already  crippled  in  my  powers  of 
work.  I  feel  that  I  have  gained  much  during  the  year 
past,  and  I  do  not  despair  but  that  soundness  of  head 
may  yet  be  restored  to  me.  It  still  tires  quite  too  easily 
for  the  normal  condition.  I  feel  anxious  to  work,  and 
work  effectually,  while  the  day  lasts,  having  a  constantly 
augmenting  realization  of  the  greatness  and  extent  of  the 
work  to  be  done  to  keep  science  headed  aright  in  these 
times.  There  is  wonderful  comfort  and  strength  in  the 
thought  that  God  is  with  the  right,  and  will  give  triumph 
to  the  truth." 

DANA  TO   GUYOT 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  Jan.  30,  1875. 

'  Your  kind  note  was  very  welcome.  With  regard  to 
the  Quarternary  you  saw  deeper  than  I  did  when  the  first 
edition  of  the  Geology  was  in  preparation.  As  to  the 
'  Age  of  Invertebrates,'  I  had  forgotten  that  you  fa- 
vored the  term.  Not  long  after  the  Manual  was  pub- 
lished, I  had  a  letter  from  Murchison  telling  me  that  he 
had  proposed  the  term,  Age  of  Invertebrates,  and  arguing 
for  its  adoption,  and  I  have  ever  since  been  in  favor  of  it. 

'  With  regard  to  species,  I  am  off  a  little  from  my  old 
ground  and  yours.  But  the  more  I  have  thought  of  late 
over  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis,  the  more  ready  I  have 

330 


LETTERS   TO    GUYOT 

been  to  believe  that  the  fiats  were  the  commencement  of 
a  series  of  productions,  through  force  imparted  at  the 
time  to  nature.  Is  not  this  the  true  interpretation  of  the 
language  ?  This  is  essentially  the  view  taken  by  Pro- 
fessor Tayler  Lewis  of  Schenectady,  whom  I  once  criti- 
cised on  account  of  it." 


DANA  TO   GUYOT 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  Jan.  27,  1881. 

"  It  was  a  great  pleasure  to  receive  your  letter  of  yes- 
terday, and  to  be  put  into  so  close  communion  with  you 
by  it.  Life  is  fast  slipping  by;  but  under  God's  good- 
ness it  keeps  giving  happiness  as  it  passes. 

"  All  of  my  household  are  well,  and  my  own  health  is 
good  except  for  the  tired  head ;  and  that  is  not  so  badly 
off  but  that  I  go  through  with  all  college  duties,  and  find 
pleasure  in  long  walks,  and  when  the  snow  does  not  inter- 
fere, in  work  with  hammer  in  hand  among  the  rocks. 
My  last  geologizing  was  on  the  26th  of  November,  over 
the  upper  part  of  New  York  island.  I  have  been  waiting 
ever  since  for  another  chance — three  or  four  days  of  work 
being  needed  to  finish  another  Journal  article.  I  should 
like  exceedingly  to  see  your  Museum  again  with  its  large 
collections,  triply  enlarged.  I  have  no  doubt  you  make 
a  far  better  show  in  the  way  of  fossils  than  we  do.  You 
are  ahead  of  us  in  the  Cave  bear,  and  no  doubt  in  many 
other  things.  Mrs.  Dana  would  delight  to  visit  your 
pleasant  home  again,  and  the  time  may  come  about  when 
we  can  do  it. 

"  I  have  not  yet  seen  Wallace's  new  book,  having  de- 
layed to  order  it  from  the  hope  that  the  publisher  would 
send  the  Journal  a  copy.  Your  reference  to  that  point 
about  the  continents  and  oceans  brings  to  mind  the  fact 
that  I  have  never  mentioned  your  name  where  I  have 
brought  out  the  idea  in  my  Geology.  When  did  you  first 
publish  on  the  subject  ?  My  first  article  (part  of  an 
article,  rather)  '  On  the  Origin  of  Continents  '  appeared 
in  the  Journal  of  Science  for  1846  (vol.  ii.  of  the  2d 
Series,  p.  352),  and  in  it  I  give  reasons  for  the  opinion 
that  the  continents  were  always  continents,  etc. ;  and  this 
being  quite  early,  and  before  you  came  to  America,  you 

331 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT    DANA 

see  why  I  should  have  thought  that  I  had  first  presented 
the.  idea.  My  cruise  over  the  oceans  in  1838  to  1842 
brought  such  subjects  before  me,  and  gave  me  opinions 
that  otherwise  I  might  never  have  reached.  I  wish  much 
to  know  when  you  made  your  first  publication  of  the 
view,  that  I  may  give  you  credit  for  it.  I  shall  probably 
say  something  on  the  subject  when  I  notice  Wallace  in 
the  Journal" 

DANA  TO   GUYOT 

"  GREAT  BARRINGTON,  July  2,  1884. 

41  You  see  by  my  date  above  that  I  am  already  in  the 
country,  seeking  the  rest  and  quiet  that  Commencement 
week  with  its  excesses  makes  very  necessary.  It  was  a 
time  of  special  interest  to  us,  as  it  ended  Arnold's  college 
course,  and  was  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  my  graduation. 
With  him  it  was  made  doubly  memorable  by  the  recep- 
tion of  your  most  beautiful  gift — a  gift  that  touched 
us  all  most  deeply,  and  was  a  surprise  and  delight  to 
him.  .  .  . 

"  My  class  meeting — a  gathering  of  nineteen,  between 
sixty-eight  and  seventy-six  in  age — passed  off  very  pleas- 
antly, but  of  course  without  the  hilarity  of  recent  gradu- 
ates. Though  the  end  was  to  each  in  manifest  view,  we 
were  a  cheerful  group;  and  why  not,  for  we  were  all 
Christians. 

"  I  get  my  vacation  rest  by  excursions  among  the 
rocks,  and  this  summer  Berkshire  will  again  be  my  field 
of  study.  It  is  a  delightful  region,  with  everything  in 
the  scenery  and  people  to  make  geologizing  a  recrea- 
tion. 


V 

LETTERS   TO   SIR  ARCHIBALD   GEIKIE 

With  Sir  Archibald  Geikie,  head  of  the  Geological 
Survey  of  Great  Britain,  Dana  entered  into  friendly  per- 
sonal relations  when  the  British  geologist  made  his  first 
visit  to  this  country  in  1879,  but  their  correspondence 

332 


LETTERS   TO   A.    GEIKIE 

began  at  an  earlier  date.  After  his  return  they  ex- 
changed frequent  letters,  chiefly  upon  technical  points 
suggested  by  Dana's  study  of  the  Taconic  rocks  and 
partly  by  Dr.  Sterry-Hunt's  publications.  Through  Sir 
Archibald  Geikie,  communications  were  made  to  the 
Geological  Society  of  London.  He  has  kindly  shown  me 
all  this  correspondence,  a  part  of  which  was  confidential, 
and  in  making  a  selection,  it  is  difficult  to  decide  between 
the  interests  of  the  general  reader,  for  whom  this  memoir 
is  prepared,  and  those  of  professional  geologists.  One  may 
think  that  too  few  of  Dana's  letters  are  given ;  another 
will  find  too  many. 

DANA  TO   GEIKIE 

44  NEW  HAVEN,  October  18,  1873. 

"  May  I  ask  you  one  question  on  the  geology  of  the 
Isle  of  Skye  ?  Macculloch  describes  a  rock,  which  he 
pronounces  eruptive  and  also  chrysolite,  as  occurring  on 
that  island,  and  I  have  supposed  that  he  referred  to  a 
rock  related  to  that  of  Staffa  in  being  a  dolerite.  What 
I  desire  to  know  is  whether  there  is  any  'Azoic  '  or 
'  Laurentian  '  granitoid  (that  is,  precambrian)  rock  on 
the  island  which  is  chrysolitic,  and  is  strictly  a  chrysolitic 
hypersthenite,  related  therefore  to  a  rock  found  at  Elf- 
dalen  in  Sweden  and  described  by  Rose.  A  word  from 
you  on  this  point  would  greatly  oblige  me." 

DANA  TO   GEIKIE 

"NEW  HAVEN,  January  12,  1874. 

"  I  was  exceedingly  glad  to  have  your  opinion  about 
the  chrysolite  of  Skye.  Prof.  T.  Sterry-Hunt  has  re- 
cently stated  that  he  had  examined  the  collections  of 
Macculloch,  and  had  ascertained  that  his  chrysolite  was 
in  the  hypersthene  rock  of  Skye.  Should  you  at  any  time 
refer  to  those  collections  I  should  be  much  pleased  to 
learn  further  your  opinion  on  the  subject. 

"  I  have  read  your  memoirs,  which  you  kindly  ad- 
dressed to  me,  with  great  pleasure.  You  show  that  Scot- 
land was  an  extraordinary  region  of  igneous  rocks,  almost 

333 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

a  volcanic  region,  in  ancient  time.  I  have  cited  some  of 
the  facts  respecting  the  great  Tertiary  outflows  in  my 
Geology.  It  is  surprising  that  the  Duke  of  Argyll  should 
have  found  fault  with  your  views  on  erosion  and  the 
conclusions  therefrom ;  and  especially  that  he  should 
have  discovered  anything  of  a  sceptical  tendency  in  them. 
My  range  of  travel  through  the  Pacific  and  over  parts  of 
the  adjoining  continents  early  impressed  me  with  the 
truth  of  the  Huttonian  view;  and  I  still  hold  that  erosion 
has  shaped  the  mountains,  and  mainly  fresh-water  erosion 
— not  marine.  I  shall  be  happy  to  send  you  a  copy  of 
my  Geology  when  it  is  out.  The  work  is  largely  rewritten 
and  much  enlarged;  but  on  the  subject  of  valley-making 
it  is  unaltered,  agreeing,  I  believe,  with  the  views  you 
entertain." 

DANA  TO   GEIKIE 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  October  5,  1879. 

"  I  rejoice  to  know  that  you  will  give  me  the  pleasure 
of  an  excursion  with  you  on  Saturday  next  (the  nth). 
My  walks  with  the  students  are  wholly  voluntary,  and 
any  other  day  will  serve  them  as  well.  I  do  not  know 
what  may  be  your  preference  as  to  time  of  starting  on 
Saturday  morning.  We  are  early  risers  here — being 
made  so  by  University  duties;  and  I  shall  be  ready  by 
eight  o'clock  or  any  time  thereafter  that  is  agreeable  to 
you.  With  horses,  we  could  drive  to  several  places  of 
interest,  and  make  the  most  of  the  time.  After  a  lunch 
at  one  or  two  o'clock  we  could  either  go  off  again  or  visit 
the  Museum  of  the  University,  which  contains  much  of 
Rocky  Mountain  interest  in  Professor  Marsh's  collections. 
His  latest  novelties  are  marsupial  remains  from  the  Colo- 
rado Jurassic;  but  the  most  marvellous  of  his  discoveries 
is  the  Devonian  skeleton  with  femur  eight  feet  long, — 
that  is,  next  to  his  toothed  birds. ' ' 

DANA   TO    GEIKIE 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  October  23,  1879. 

'  I  have  put  up  for  you  a  few  specimens  to  show  what 
are  Taconic  rocks  and  those  associated  with  them  to  the 
eastward.  If  you  arrange  them  geographically  you  will 

334 


LETTERS   TO   A.    GEIKIE 

appreciate  the  fact  that  the  degree  of  metamorphism  is 
more  and  more  marked  as  you  go  south  from  Vermont 
to  Connecticut,  and  as  you  go  east  from  the  Taconic 
range.  West  of  the  Taconic  Range  the  schist  and  lime- 
stone become  but  less  crystalline,  and  for  the  most  part 
the  schists  are  hydromica  schists,  and  what  has  been 
called  clay-slate.  I  have  requested  a  friend  at  Pough- 
keepsie — Prof.  W.  B.  Dwight — to  send  you  a  specimen 
or  two  of  the  Poughkeepsie  slate  and  the  adjoining  lime- 
stone. The  frondiferous  specimen  which  I  offered  you 
when  you  were  at  my  house  I  have  put  in  the  package. 

"  I  regret  that  I  have  no  good  set  of  duplicates  from 
the  Taconic  region  to  give  you ;  but,  such  as  they  are, 
you  may  learn  something  from  them  about  our  Green 
Mountain  Geology. 

"  I  would  add  that  in  Connecticut,  the  mica  schists 
and  gneisses  connected  with  the  limestone  region,  and 
conformable  with  the  limestone,  are  among  the  coarser 
and  least  characterized  varieties.  You  will  see  this 
brought  out  in  my  papers." 

DANA   TO   GEIKIE 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  January  27,  1882. 

14  As  to  my  paper — you  will  find  in  it  nothing  contro- 
versial and  almost  nothing  about  T.  S.  H. — nothing 
calculated  to  offend  him,  though  it  may  make  him  wish 
I  had  kept  silent.  I  simply  show  that  his  doubt  is  un- 
called for;  that  all  investigators  of  the  region  of  the 
Taconic  Mountains  and  that  adjoining,  from  Emmons  to 
the  latest,  have  come  to  the  same  conclusion  that  I  have 
reached  as  to  the  conformability  of  the  schists  and  lime- 
stone, the  point  referred  to  in  the  doubt.  I  propose  to 
send  the  article  next  week.  At  the  same  time  I  will 
send  a  copy  of  my  several  articles  on  the  Green  Mountain 
region,  bound  up,  for  the  Geological  Society." 

DANA  TO   GEIKIE 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  January  30,  1882. 

"  Had  I  been  present  at  the  meeting  of  the  Geological 
Society  on  the  i6th  of  November  last,  the  closing  remark 

335 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

of  Dr.  T.  Sterry-Hunt,  reported  in  the  Proceedings  of  that 
date,  would  probably  have  brought  me  to  my  feet ;  and 
I  presume  that  the  Society  would  have  favored  me  with  a 
hearing  while  I  endeavored  to  show  that,  without  a  better 
reason  than  that  given,  an  interrogation  mark  should  not 
be  so  drawn  across  my  several  Green  Mountain  Memoirs 
and  those  of  other  workers  among  the  Taconic  rocks. 

"  As  that '  doubt  '  now  stands  recorded  in  the  publica- 
tions of  the  Geological  Society  without  a  dissenting  re- 
mark, I  hope  the  Society  will  receive  from  me  the  short 
statement  I  herewith  send,  and  give  it  a  place  in  its 
Journal. 

1  The  statement  is  not  controversial  in  any  respect, 
but  only  a  simple  review  of  the  conclusions  published  by 
the  various  investigators  of  the  Taconic  region ;  and  its 
purpose  is  to  show  how  far  there  has  been  unanimity  on 
the  point  referred  to  in  that  doubt.  I  shall  esteem  it  a 

freat  favor  if  you  will  present  my  paper  to  the  Society, 
send  also  by  post  a  bound  copy  of  my  Memoirs  on  the 
subject,  which  I  beg  you  will  present  to  the  Geological 
Society  for  its  library. 

4  The  Green  Mountain  region,  including  the  Taconic 
range  as  one  of  its  subordinate  parts,  is  remarkable  for 
the  extent  of  its  ranges  of  crystalline  limestone.  They 
are  quarried  for  white  and  clouded  marbles  at  various 
points  from  Central  Vermont  to  New  York  City — a  dis- 
tance of  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  In  the  region  the 
metamorphism  of  the  original  stratified  rocks  (produced 
probably  during  the  period  of  upturning  in  which  the 
Green  Mountains  were  made)  diminished  in  intensity  to 
the  northward  and  to  the  westward ;  or,  conversely,  in- 
creased to  the  southward  and  to  the  eastward,  along  the 
region.  Consequently,  to  find  rocks  that  are  imperfectly 
metamorphosed  and  still  containing  fossils,  we  have  to  go 
either  northward  to  Central  Vermont  and  beyond,  or 
westward  over  Eastern  New  York  toward  the  Hudson 
River.  ^  The  limestone  along  the  range  manifests  beauti- 
fully this  variation  in  degree  of  metamorphism ;  for,  to 
the  north,  it  is  very  fine  grained  and  at  some  points  ex- 
cellent statuary  marble;  while  to  the  south,  in  West- 
chester  County,  it  presents  its  extreme  of  coarseness,  the 
crystalline  grains  in  much  of  it  a  fourth  of  an  inch  across; 
and  to  the  westward,  evidences  of  metamorphism  in  some 


LETTERS   TO   A.    GEIKIE 

places  almost  fade  out,  the  limestones  being  gray  and 
feebly  crystalline.  As  a  consequence,  also,  the  region 
affords  an  excellent  chance  for  studying  the  successive 
stages  of  crystallization  and  other  concomitant  changes 
in  the  metamorphosed  sedimentary  rocks  which  are  associ- 
ated with  the  limestone.  These  changes  are  well  shown 
along  the  Green  Mountain  and  Taconic  region  from  north 
to  south;  but  are  exhibited  more  strikingly  on  lines  from 
east  to  west  because  these  transverse  lines  are  short 
compared  with  the  longitudinal. 

'  In  thus  speaking  of  the  Green  Mountain  region  (the 
Taconic  included)  as  made  of  the  limestone  ranges  and 
the  conformably  associated  rocks,  I  do  not  mean  to  im- 
ply that  this  is  so  without  exception,  for  Archaean  rocks 
cover  nearly  all  of  Putnam  County  in  Eastern  New  York, 
and  outcrop  also  in  Western  Connecticut,  and  probably 
also  in  Western  Massachusetts,  and  in  portions  of  the 
mountain  region  of  Vermont,  as  held  by  Prof.  C.  H. 
Hitchcock.  But  these  are  small  areas  compared  with  the 
rest.  Although  so  small  they  are  of  the  highest  interest 
in  this  connection,  since  they  offer  us  an  explanation  as 
to  the  origin  of  those  sediments  which  were  made  into 
strata  of  the  Green  Mountain  region. 

14  I  wish  you  could  have  given  the  region  some  study 
when  you  were  in  New  England  last  summer.  I  would 
strongly  recommend  a  brief  visit  at  least  to  it  when  you 
are  again  this  side  of  the  ocean.  I  should  esteem  it  a 
privilege  to  give  you  all  the  help  I  could  in  the  study  of 
the  region ;  and  I  would  say  the  same  to  any  member  of 
the  Geological  Society. 

'In  order  that  the  precise  position  of  the  region  re- 
ferred to  in  my  paper  may  be  understood,  and  the  general 
geographical  relations  of  its  several  parts  and  localities,  I 
send  by  post,  at  the  same  time  with  my  book  and  letter, 
a  map  of  New  England  (part  of  Maine  excluded)  and 
Eastern  New  York,  for  the  library  of  the  Geological 
Society.  It  is  one  of  our  Government  Post  Route  maps, 
and  I  have  selected  it  because  the  scale  is  large,  and  it  is 
unobscured  by  bad  typography.  The  map  will  be  also  of 
service  to  any  members  that  may  be  interested  in  an 
article  I  am  now  publishing  in  the  American  Journal 
of  Science  on  the  Quaternary  Flood  of  the  Connecticut 
River  Valley." 

337 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

DANA  TO   GEIKIE 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  July  19,  1882. 

"  The  copy  of  your  Geological  Sketches  which  you 
kindly  addressed  to  me  has  been  received,  and  I  thank 
you  much  for  it.  I  have  already  told  you  of  my  delight 
in  reading  some  of  the  sketches,  and  they  are  all  excel- 
lent. .  .  . 

"  I  am  greatly  interested  in  the  discovery  of  fossils  in 
the  metamorphic  rocks  of  Bergen,  Norway,  announced  in 
a  recent  paper  by  Hans  H.  Reusch.  The  rocks  (Upper 
Silurian)  are  much  like  those  west  of  our  New  Haven.'* 

DANA  TO   GEIKIE 

'*  NEW  HAVEN,  December  17,  1884. 

"  I  have  also  to  thank  you  for  your  paper  on  Coral 
Islands.  I  still  believe,  however,  Darwin  to  be  right 
probably,  and,  as  I  have  seen  and  studied  many  of  the 
islands  as  well  as  coral  reefs,  I  may  state  the  Darwin  side 
of  the  subject  before  long  in  our  Journal  of  Science." 

DANA  TO   GEIKIE 

"NEW  HAVEN,  May  19,  1886. 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  note  of  the  6th,  received  three 
days  since,  and  am  not  much  surprised  that  your  Scotch 
facts  should  come  forward  for  an  explanation  of  Taconic 
geology.  I  was  greatly  interested  in  your  paper,  and  on 
receiving  a  copy  of  it  (from  you,  I  think),  I  inserted  it 
in  our  Journal  (vol.  xxix.,  p.  10,  1885)  entire.  It  brought 
before  me  the  possibilities,  and  I  at  once  reviewed  the 
Taconic  subject  with  reference  to  them.  The  conclusion 
was  that  we  have  not  in  Berkshire,  or  the  Taconic  region, 
a  single  one  of  the  conditions  you  find  in  Scotland,  and 
which  have  so  long  been  a  vexation  to  British  geologists. 
We  have  in  no  case  a  more  crystalline  structure  or 
mass  overlying  a  less  crystalline;  but  a  perfect  corre- 
spondence between  the  limestone  and  adjoining  schist  in 
grade  of  metamorphism.  Where  the  Canaan  fossils  occur 
the  adjoining  slate  looks  very  much  like  your  Welsh 

338 


LETTERS   TO   A.   GEIKIE 

roofing  slates;  it  is  a  very  fine  glossy  hydromica  slate 
(I  suppose  hydromicaceous  from  its  microscopic  charac- 
ters; it  has  not  yet  been  analyzed  chemically).  Then, 
to  the  south,  where  fossils  appear  near  Poughkeepsie  and 
the  limestone  is  the  same  western  belt  of  Taconic  lime- 
stone, both  the  limestone  and  the  associated  slate  contain 
Lower  Silurian  fossils.  In  our  Taconic  region  we  have 
parallel  belts  of  limestone  and  schist — going  east  from 
Canaan-Four-Corners,  New  York,  we  have.  I  do  not  in 
the  section  undertake  to  give  relative  distance  correctly 
nor  precise  dips. 

[Here  followed  a  pen  diagram  and  notes.] 

"  Now  that  eastern  gneiss  is  not  found  anywhere  to  the 
westward,  each  range  of  schist  is  in  its  place;  the  alterna- 
tion is  that  of  successive  interstratified  and  interfolded 
beds  of  limestone  and  schist;  and  the  metamorphism 
decreases  in  grade  westward  with  remarkable  regularity, 
and  not  only  in  Berkshire,  but  all  the  way  through  the 
southern  half  of  Vermont,  as  well  as  to  the  south  of 
Berkshire. 

"  I  hope  you  are  not  intending  to  publish  your  con- 
clusions ;  indeed  I  cannot  suppose  this,  as  you  know  how 
dangerous  it  is  to  work  out  geological  problems  with  three 
thousand  miles  between  you  and  the  region  to  be  investi- 
gated. After  your  very  important  paper  on  the  Scottish 
Highlands  was  republished  in  our  Journal,  I  had  occasion 
to  publish  the  first  part  of  my  article  '  On  Taconic  Rocks 
and  Stratigraphy,'  in  vol.  xxix.,  1885,  p.  205,  giving 
with  it  a  map  of  the  southern  part  of  Berkshire  and  of 
northeastern  Connecticut;  and  in  it  I  allude,  on  p.  442, 
to  the  impossibility  of  the  long  overthrusts  such  as  you 
have  in  Scotland.  I  think  I  sent  you  a  copy  of  this 
paper.  I  shall  publish  the  remaining  part  this  season, 
and  will  then  send  a  copy  of  the  whole  together. 

(<  Our  Taconic  limestone  consists  in  Vermont  and  near 
Poughkeepsie  of  limestones  of  Lower  Silurian  and  Upper 
Cambrian — united  in  one  mass,  fossils  of  Upper  Cam- 
brian, calciferous,  and  Trenton  occurring  in  it.  After 
reading  this  letter  if  you  will  then  run  over  my  article 
just  now  referred  to  (in  vol.  xxix.,  p.  206),  you  will  be 
able  to  judge  on  the  Taconic  questions;  but  better  still 
after  you  have  the  remaining  part  of  my  paper. 

339 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

"  I  should  be  pleased  to  have  this  letter  used  to  en- 
lighten any  geologist  interested  in  our  American  geologi- 
cal problems." 

DANA   TO   GEIKIE 

"NEW  HAVEN,  Aug.  21,  1888. 

"  I  take  pleasure  in  introducing  to  you  Prof.  Henry  S. 
Williams,  of  Cornell  University,  Ithaca,  N.  Y. — an  able 
geologist  and  paleontologist.  He  proposes  to  be  present 
at  the  meeting  of  the  International  Geological  Congress. 
Whatever  questions  connected  with  American  geology 
may  come  up  there,  or  may  be  occupying  your  own  mind, 
you  will  find  him  full  of  knowledge  and  of  excellent 
judgment." 

DANA  TO   GEIKIE 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  Jan.  4,  1889. 

"  It  will  be  a  great  pleasure  to  me  to  welcome  you 
again  to  our  New  Haven.  I  have  received  your  very 
valuable  memoir  on  the  Volcanic  History  of  Tertiary 
Great  Britain,  and  will  soon  have  an  appreciative  notice 
of  it  in  the  Journal  of  Science.  It  is  a  strange  fact  in 
geology  that  the  eastern  border  of  the  Atlantic  should 
have  so  contrasted  with  the  western. 

"  Before  long  I  shall  be  able  to  send  you  a  complete 
copy  of  my  Hawaiian  memoir.  The  long  delays  between 
the  parts  have  come  from  the  pressure  of  contributors  for 
space  in  the  Journal ;  and  for  the  same  reason  it  will  be 
April  or  May  before  the  closing  part,  on  the  rocks  of  the 
region,  by  my  son,  is  published. 

'  The  International  Geological  Congress  in  London 
acted  wisely  in  its  appointment  of  the  American  Com- 
mittee. The  prefix  Provisional,  which  at  first  looked 
ominous,  turned  out  to  be  most  fortunate.  A  simple 
vote  at  the  first  meeting  of  each  of  us  for  twenty-five 
names  on  one  ballot  resulted  most  quietly  in  electing 
twenty  good  men,  with  the  three  obnoxious  ones  left 
out." 

DANA   TO    GEIKIE 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  February  4,  1890. 

'  You  know  of  Sterry  -  Hunt's  paper  on  Cambrian 
History.  .  .  .  It  has  had  a  bad  perverting  influence 

340 


LETTERS   TO   A.    GEIKIE 

in  this  country,  leading  geologists  generally  to  misunder- 
stand the  Sedgwick-Murchison  relations  and  condemn 
the  Geological  Society  for  its  course.  In  view  of  it,  and 
the  general  ignorance  on  the  subject,  I  have  been  led  to 
prepare  a  simple  historical  account  of  the  labors  of  the 
two  geologists, — year  by  year,  up  to  the  time  of  Sedg- 
wick's  paper  of  1854.  The  article  will  appear  in  the 
March  number  of  the  American  Journal.  I  wish  that  it 
might  have  had  your  revision,  but  hope  that  it  contains 
no  important  errors.  I  have  endeavored  to  do  full  justice 
to  both  of  the  eminent  geologists.  I  send  you  a  copy  in 
advance  of  publication.  My  desire  will  be  fully  accom- 
plished if  it  put  right  ideas  into  our  American  geologists. 
But  if  it  can  be  in  your  opinion  of  any  service  in  England, 
I  have  no  objection  to  its  republication  at  the  time  of 
its  appearance  here — you  making  any  emendations  in  it 
which  may  be  needed.  .  .  ." 


DANA  TO   GEIKIE 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  April  18,  1890. 

"  I  have  just  sent  to  the  post,  addressed  to  the  Geo- 
logical Society,  a  copy  of  each  of  my  new  works  just  pub- 
lished,— the  volcano  book  and  the  new  edition  of  my 
Coral  and  Coral  Islands.  In  the  latter  you  will  find  a 
strong  argument  for  Darwin  in  the  map  of  the  Louisiade 
Archipelago,  and  some  new  facts  from  other  sources.  I 
have  a  map  of  the  region  of  Honolulu  (Oahu)  in  the 
Appendix  showing  the  positions  of  the  artesian  bor- 
ings. .  .  ." 


Among  the  younger  correspondents  of  Professor  Dana 
in  his  later  life,  he  valued  highly  Professor  John  W. 
Judd,  Professor  of  Geology  in  the  Royal  School  of 
Mines,  for  eight  years  Secretary  of  the  Geological  So- 
ciety of  London,  and  subsequently  its  President.  Three 
of  the  letters  addressed  to  him  by  Professor  Dana  are 
here  given, — all  written  toward  the  close  of  Dana's  life. 

341 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

DANA   TO   JOHN   W.    JUDD 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  September  4,  1891. 

"  My  long  silence  has  been  owing  to  impaired  health 
from  overwork  in  the  early  autumn.  Your  very  import- 
ant article  on  quartz  I  was  unable  to  notice  in  the  Jour- 
nal, and  my  son  put  the  facts  in  the  new  edition  of  my 
Mineralogy  which  he  has  now  about  two  thirds  through 
the  press.  Since  then  I  have  been  doing  nothing  until 
recently,  when,  owing  to  improvement,  I  was  able  to 
finish  a  paper  half-ready  before — a  copy  of  which  I  now 
send  you.  The  paper  will  show  you  that  I  find  it  hard 
to  be  idle. 

"  Before  reading  the  paper  you  would  do  well  to  look 
at  page  20  of  my  Manual  of  Geology,  where  there  is  a 
map  showing  the  position  of  our  West  Rock  ridge,  and 
its  relations  to  the  other  Jura-Trias  trap  ridges  of  the 
Connecticut  Valley  between  New  Haven  and  Hartford 
(thirty-six  miles).  You  will  note  that  the  section  pre- 
sented in  Plate  VII.  is  an  east  and  west,  or  transverse, 
section.  North  and  south  sections  of  the  west  side  are 
common.  As  there  is  no  evidence  whatever  of  displace- 
ments in  the  trap,  there  is  no  doubt  over  the  conclusion 
that  the  sandstone  was  upturned  before  the  outflow  of  the 
trap.  I  wish  you  had  come  out  to  the  International  Con- 
gress, that  you  might  have  seen  our  trap  ridges,  etc. 
The  Congress  adjourned  Tuesday,  and  Wednesday  morn- 
ing at  nine  o'clock  a  party  of  about  eighty  commenced 
the  excursion  to  the  Yellowstone  Park  and  other  western 
regions  of  interest.  I  was  not  well  enough  to  be  present, 
although  in  a  condition  to  do  some  work  at  home.  My 
troubles  are  a  fatigued  head  rather  than  body,  my  limbs 
still  serving  me  well." 

DANA   TO   JOHN   W.    JUDD 

"NEW  HAVEN,  December  4,  1891. 

'  It  was  a  delight  to  me  to  receive  your  kind  letter  of 
the  22d  of  September  and  to  find  myself  thus  again  in 
communication  with  the  outer  world.  Since  then  I  have 
been  gaining  slowly,  and  now  have  out  another  paper  on 
the  Connecticut  Valley  Rocks.  In  this  paper  I  present  a 

342 


LETTERS   TO   J.   W.    JUDD 

photo-engraved  copy  of  Percival's  map  of  the  trap-region. 
It  shows  well  the  narrow  features  of  the  belt  and  their 
relations.  There  are  no  broad  streams  exposed  to  view 
over  large  surfaces:  nothing  but  narrow  linear  outcrops, 
with  sandstone  covering  the  eastern  slope  and  underneath 
the  western  front.  I  send  you  a  copy  of  the  photograph 
from  which  Plate  VII.  in  my  August  paper  was  taken. 
The  thinning  of  the  trap  sheet  westward  is  only  photo- 
graphic error;  for  it  keeps  its  thickness  of  two  hun- 
dred to  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  quite  to  the  edge  of 
the  western  columnar  front,  and  moreover  the  upper  sur- 
face continues  to  rise  westward  to  the  edge.  Since  the 
distance  of  outflow  was  not  over  five  or  six  hundred 
yards,  this  great  thickness  and  the  upward  rise  of  surface 
could  not  have  been  a  fact  unless  the  outflow  mentioned 
had  been  under  cover  of  the  sandstone.  The  views  look 
like  a  sub-aerial  overflow;  but  had  this  been  true,  the 
stream,  it  appears  to  me,  would  have  flattened  out  to 
half  its  thickness  and  less." 


DANA  TO   JOHN  W.    JUDD 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  February  19,  1892. 

"  Your  kind  letter  and  the  photograph  were  received 
at  the  close  of  last  week  and  gave  me  great  pleasure.  It 
is  very  gratifying  to  have  the  degree  of  personal  know- 
ledge of  a  friend  which  a  photograph  gives  when  this  is 
all  that  is  within  reach. 

"  I  have  through  life  found  great  satisfaction  in  being 
virtually  an  Englishman,  and  have  rejoiced  in,  and  won- 
dered over,  the  grandeur  and  power  of  the  British  nation. 
Your  cordial  recognition  of  our  relationship  is  most 
cordially  reciprocated." 

VI 
FROM   OCCASIONAL  CORRESPONDENTS 

The  first  two  letters  selected  from  occasional  corre- 
spondents are  those  which  were  written  by  the  great 
Swedish  chemist,  after  he  had  received  the  first  and  (eight 

343 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT    DANA 

years  later)  the  second  edition  of  Dana's  Mineralogy. 
When  Berzelius  first  wrote,  he  was  at  the  height  of  his 
reputation  and  fifty-seven  years  old.  He  continued  to 
hold  the  highest  standing  among  his  contemporaries  until 
his  death  in  1848. 

BERZELIUS  TO   DANA* 

"STOCKHOLM,  le  14  sept.,  1836. 

"  J'ai  eu  Thonneur  de  recevoir  la  lettre  que  vous  m'avez 
addresse"  sous  la  date  du  4  Nov.  1835,  mais  e^e  ne  m'est 
arrivee  qu'un  peu  tard  et  encore  j'etois  en  voyage 
lorsqu'on  la  remit  chez  moi.  Vous  aurez  done  la  bont£ 
d'excuser  le  delai  de  ma  reponse. 

"  Vous  avez  demande  mon  opinion  sur  1'essai  de  no- 
menclature que  vous  m'avez  fait  1'honneur  de  me  com- 
muniquer.  Je  pense,  Monsieur,  que  cette  nomenclature 
est  bonne  et  cons£quente;  mais  je  crains  qu'  il  n'y  a  des 
choses  la  dedans  qui  s'opposent  a  sa  reception  gen£rale, 
meme  par  ceux  qui  la  regardent  comme  bonne. 

"  II  serait  peut-etre  plus  facile  de  faire  adopter  une 
nomenclature  chimique  entierement  nouvelle,  ou  il  n'y 
auroit  rien  de  1'ancienne,  que  de  faire  passer  une  ameliora- 
tion un  peu  g£nerale  dans  1'ancienne.  Pour  faire  une 
nomenclature  nouvelle,  il  ne  s'y  mele  que  des  considera- 
tions purement  scientifiques,  mais  lorsqu'on  veut  changer 
une  qui  est  deja  regue,  il  y  a  une  foule  d'autres  considera- 
tions bien  plus  difficiles  a  saisir  et  a  remplir,  si  toute-fois 
on  la  souhaite  adopted.  Une  de  ces  considerations  est  par 
ex.  de  ne  point  employer  un  terme  de  la  nomenclature  en 
usage  dans  une  autre  acception  que  celle  qui  est  recue. 
Je  considere  votre  ide"e  de  dire  (e.g.)  sulfoxas  et  molybdo- 
sulphus  comme  tres  ing£nieuse,  et  conforme  a  de  bons 
principes,  mais  certes  aucun  chimiste,  frangais  ou  anglais, 
n'admettroit  jamais  d'echanger  de  cette  maniere  la  de- 
nomination de  ses  anciens  sulphates.  Quant  a  moi,  je 

*  The  letters  of  Berzelius  are  not  always  in  a  clear  handwriting,  and  the 
French  is  that  of  a  Swede  writing  according  to  the  orthography  of  many 
years  ago.  These  facts  must  excuse  some  infelicities  which  an  acute  eye  is 
likely  to  discover. 

344 


LETTERS    FROM    BERZELIUS 

n'ai  que  deux  observations  derive£s  de  ma  maniere  a  moi 
de  voir,  a  faire  par  rapport  a  votre  nomenclature. 

"  La  premiere  porte  sur  1'emploie  du  nom  Anamphi- 
gena.  Je  crois  que  cette  denomination  n'est  point  bien 
choisie,  puisque  d'abord  on  doit  aussi  rarement  que  pos- 
sible se  servir  d'un  manque  de  caractere  comme  caractere 
principale;  et  ensuite,  je  crois  que  lorsqu'on  emploie  le 
mot  amphigene  dans  une  signification  aussi  etendue 
comme  vous  1'avez  fait,  un  plus  grand  nombre  de  corps 
sont  des  amphigenes,  que  ceux  que  vous  entendez  sous 
cette  denomination.  P.  ex.  lorsque  trois  elemens  se  com- 
binent  a  la  maniere  inorganique,  on  peut  toujours  con- 
siderer  la  substance  la  plus  electronegative,  comme 
partagee  entre  les  deux  autres:  p.  ex.  1'arseniure  d'an- 
timoine  se  combine  avec  1'arseniure  d'argent  ou  de 
plomb,  le  stannure  de  bismute  avec  celui  de  plomb,  etc. 
II  y  a  la  une  amphigenie  toute  aussi  decidee  comme 
dans  une  combinaison  de  deux  chlorures. 

"  Ma  seconde  observation  s'allie  £troitement  a  la  pre- 
miere. Elle  porte  sur  ce  que  vous  contez  le  chlore,  le 
brome,  avec  un  mot  les  corps  que  je  nomme  des  halo- 
genes,  parmi  les  corps  amphigenes.  J'aurois  plutot 
partage  votre  maniere  de  voir,  si  vous  auriez  fait  1'inverse, 
c'est  a  d.  si  vous  auriez  compte  le  soufre,  le  phosphore, 
le  nitrogene,  etc.,  parmi  les  halogenes,  en  disant  que  ces 
corps  simples  peuvent  produire  des  corps  halogenes  en  se 

IN 

combinant  ensemble,  p.  ex.  S,  F,  P,  N,  etc.  Mais  il  est 
claire  qu'  alors  leurs  combinaisons  salines  avec  les  metaux 
auroient  ete  de  deux  especes,  dont  Tune  est  divisible  en 
acides  et  en  bases,  et  1'autre  en  metal  et  en  corps  halo- 
gene,  et  c'est  pour  marquer  cette  grandissime  difference 
que  j'ai  partage  les  corps  les  plus  eminemment  electro- 
negatifs  en  halogenes  et  en  amphigenes. 

'  Mr.  de  BonnsdorfT  est  le  premier  qui  a  annonce  des 
vues  contraires  a  ces  idees;  il  considere,  comme  vous,  les 
sels  simples  haloides  comme  des  acides  et  comme  des 
bases,  et  leurs  sels  doubles  comme  correspondants  aux 
oxisels  simples  (c'est  a  dire:  non  doubles).  Pour  lui  le 
chlorure  de  potassium  est  un  corps  analogue  a  la  potasse. 
En  vain  je  lui  repete,  qu'  analogic  de  composition  n'est 
point  analogic  de  proprietes;  que  la  classification  en 
alkalis  ou  bases  et  en  acides  est  tiree  des  propri£t£s  de 

345 


LIFE    OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

ces  corps,  sans  e"gard  au  nombre  des  e'le'mens.  J'ai  beau 
lui  repeter  qu'  entre  la  potasse,  doue"e  de  caracteres  alka- 
lins  si  energiques,  et  le  chlorure  de  potassium,  substance 
saline  si  £minemment  neutre,  il  y  a  une  difference  £norme 
de  proprie'te's.  II  me  re"ponde  toujours  que  le  derniere  est 
un  alkali  tout  aussi  bien  que  la  potasse,  puisque,  comme 
ce  dernier,  il  est  compose"  de  potassium  et  d'un  corps 
e'lectrone'gatif  £nergique,  et  pour  lui  le  chlorure  platinique 
et  le  sulfate  platinique  ne  sont  point  des  corps  dou£s  de 
propriety's  analogues,  puisque  le  premier  est  un  acide  et 
le  dernier  un  sel.  Je  lui  ai  demand^  son  opinion  sur  le 
sel  neutre  cristallise'  KC1  +  MgCl ;  il  le  considere  comme 
la  reunion  de  deux  alkalis,  puisqu'il  ne  voudrait  pas  nom- 
mer  le  chlorure  magne"sique  un  acide.  II  rejette  done 

1' analogic  de  ce  sel  double  avec  celui  de  KS  +  Mg  S,  qui 
y  corresponde.  Le  KC1  -f-  Fed  il  nomme  Chloroferris 
Kalcius,  malgre"  que  le  FeCl  ne  soit  guere  moins  electro- 
positif  que  le  MgCl.  J 'ignore  comment  il  considere  les 
sels  doubles  cristallis£s,  composes  de  chlorure  de  calcium  et 
d'oxalate  de  chaux  ainsi  que  d'ac£tate  de  chaux,  mais  cer- 
tes  quelleque  denomination,  fondee  sur  sa  maniere  de  voir, 
qu'il  leur  donne,  il  se  verra  oblige"  de  les  tirer  de  la  classe 
des  sels  doubles,  ou  ils  appartiennent  par  leurs  caracteres, 
pour  les  placer  aupres  d'autres  corps  que  n'ont  point  des 
propriety's  analogues.  Mais  dans  la  chimie  ce  sont  les 
proprietes  des  corps  et  non  pas  la  composition,  quantita- 
tive ou  qualitative,  qui  nous  mettent  a  l'e"tat  de  les  dis- 
tinguer  les  uns  des  autres;  il  faut  done,  lorsqu'on  veut 
classer,  pour  faciliter  l'£tude,  se  tenir  strictement  a  ce  que 
nous  pouvons  saisir,  et  ne  pas  le  sacrifier  a  des  circon- 
stances  qui  ne  se  laissent  point  saisir  que  par  suite  de 
raisonnement.  Si  on  se  sert  pour  classification  des  pro- 
prie"t6s  chirniques,  rien  que  1'  analogic  de  propriet£s  doit 
etre  employed  Veut  on  classer  d'apres  la  composition, 
classification  facile  a  faire  mais  difficile  a  employer  avec 
profit,  il  faut  laisser  de  cote  les  proprie"t£s  dans  la  classi- 
fication; mais  la  science  n'en  deviendrait  que  d'autant 
plus  difficile  a  £tudier  et  difficile  a  etre  retenue.  Or  done 
si  j'ai  raison,  en  disant  que  la  potasse  et  la  soude  ne  sont 
point  des  corps  analogues  aux  chlorures  de  potassium  et  de 
sodium,  on  aura  tort  de  considerer  le  chlore,  le  brome, 
en  un  mot  les  corps  dites  halogenes,  comme  etant  des  corps 
amphigenes  ou  analogues  a  1'oxygene  du  soufre,  etc, 

346 


LETTERS    FROM   BERZELIUS 

"  Vous  souhaitez  que  j'envoyasse  votre  essai  pour  £tre 
insere  dans  quelque  journal  scientifique  europeen.  Je 
le  comrnuniquerai  par  consequent  a  Mr.  Poggendorff  a 
Berlin,  redacteur  des  'Annalen  der  Physik  und  Chemie/ 
le  meilleur  journal  scientifique  que  nous  possedons. 

"  Je  vous  prie  d'accepter  1'exemplaire  ci-jointe  de  mes 
Tables  chimiques  comme  un  temoignage  de  la  considera- 
tion distinguee  avec  laquelle  j'ai  1'honneur  d'etre,"  etc. 

BERZELIUS   TO   DANA 

"  STOCKHOLM,  le  22  nov.,  1844. 

'  Je  vous  remercie  de  tout  mon  cceur  pour  le  nouvel 
temoignage  de  votre  bienveillance  envers  moi,  que  vous 
venez  de  me  donner  en  m'envoyant  la  nouvelle  edition 
de  votre  Systeme  de  mineralogie,  dont  vous  me  fitez 
1'honneur  de  m'envoyer  la  premiere  en  1837.  Mr.  Alger, 
en  comptant  probablement  sur  un  consensus  presumtus, 
m'en  a  envoy£  de  votre  part  un  autre  exemplaire,  qui  j'ai 
pris  la  Hbert6  de  presenter  a  1'Academie  des  Sciences. 

"  Votre  nouvelle  edition,  qui  se  tient  au  courant  des 
progres  de  la  mineralogie  jusqu'  aux  jours  de  sa  publica- 
tion, sera  d'un  grand  prix  pour  nous  autres  mineralogistes 
europeens,  puisque  nous  n'avons  point  de  traite  complet 
de  mineralogie,  qui  ne  soit  pas  deja  d'une  date  un  peu 
ancienne.  J'aime  assez  la  nomenclature  latine  que  vous 
avez  essaye  d'introduire  deja  dans  la  premiere  edition. 
Cette  maniere  empruntee  de  1'histoire  naturelle  des  etres 
organises,  pourroit  peut-etre  en  mineralogie  nous  sauver 
de  cette  synonymic  qui  si  sou  vent  nous  embrouille.  J'y 
entrevoie  un  moyen  de  denomination  pour  ces  nombreuses 
combinaisons  ou  tantot  un  element  electrone"gatif,  tantot 
un  element  electropositif  est  substitue  par  un  autre,  sans 
que  cette  substitution  change,  d'une  maniere  bien  mar- 
quee, les  caracteres  exterieures  du  mineral. 

"  Je  vous  prie  d'agreer  un  exemplaire  de  la  derniere 
Edition  allemande  de  mon  traite  du  chalumeau  (de  1844) 
que  j'enverrais  aux  soins  de  Mr.  Silliman  pour  vous  etre 
remis." 


As  Dana's  work  in  mineralogy  received  the  serious 
consideration  of  Berzelius,  so  his  studies  of  the  Crustacea 

347 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

— his  contributions  to  carcinology — were  welcomed  by 
Milne- Edwards,  the  distinguished  French  zoologist. 
He  published  three  volumes,  and  an  atlas,  on  the  natural 
history  of  the  Crustacea,  between  1834  and  1840  ;  and 
several  years  later  three  volumes  more  on  the  coral  ani- 
mals, or  polyps  properly  so  called.  He  was  therefore 
interested  in  Dana's  work  from  two  points  of  view. 


H.    MILNE-EDWARDS   TO   DANA 

"  PARIS,  TO  Aug.,  1843. 

"  Although  I  had  not  yet  the  pleasure  of  correspond- 
ing with  you  I  had  long  considered  you  as  an  old  ac- 
quaintance, for  a  sort  of  fraternity  exists  between  men 
who  cultivate  the  same  science,  and  the  perusal  of  your 
valuable  papers  on  siphonostoma  had  shown  me  that 
carcinology  may  now  expect  to  reap  as  much  benefit 
from  the  labor  of  American  naturalists  as  from  the  ob- 
servations of  any  European  observer.  It  will  therefore 
afford  me  much  satisfaction  if  I  can  be  of  any  service  to 
you. 

"  Since  the  printing  of  my  work  on  Crustacea  I  have 
published  an  article  on  Scrolls  and  the  description  of 
some  new  Decapoda  (in  the  Archives  du  Museum] ;  I  have 
also  under  press  a  descriptive  catalogue  of  the  Crustacea 
found  on  the  coast  of  Chili  by  M.  Dorbigny,  and  if  you 
will  let  me  know  by  what  channel  I  can  forward  them,  I 
will  with  great  pleasure  send  you  a  copy  of  these  papers 
or  of  any  of  those  which  I  have  previously  published.  I 
can  also  give  you  a  copy  of  a  paper  on  Limnadia,  pub- 
lished in  my  zoological  journal  (Annales  des  Sciences 
Naturelles)  by  one  of  our  young  naturalists  here  (M. 
Joly).  I  must  also  point  out  to  you  a  series  of  papers  on 
Amphipoda,  Lernaea,  Hippolyte,  etc.,  published  by  Kroger 
in  the  transactions  of  the  Academy  of  Copenhagen  and  in 
a  Danish  journal  edited  by  that  naturalist.  You  will  also 
find  some  new  species  of  Cyclopidae  described  in  the  last 
volume  of  the  Transactions  of  the  Entomological  Society 
of  London,  and  I  have  published  a  series  of  about  eighty 
plates  representing  all  the  principal  types  of  Crustacea 

348 


LETTERS   FROM   MILNE-EDWARDS 

and  belonging  to  our  great  edition  of  Cuvier's  Regne 
Animal. 

"  Of  late  little  has  been  written  on  living  corals.  Dor- 
bigny  has  figured  some  Chilian  species  of  Sertularia, 
Flustra,  etc.  (in  Voyage  dans  V  Amerique  du  Sud),  and 
Nordmann  has  made  some  interesting  observations  on 
the  structure  of  Cellularia  (see  Demidoff,  Voyage  en 
Crime'e).  Ehrenberg's  paper  on  the  classification  of 
corals  was  printed  in  the  transactions  of  the  Academy  of 
Berlin,  and  only  a  few  separate  copies  were  distributed 
by  the  author;  I  have,  without  success,  tried  to  find  one 
for  you,  and  if  you  are  not  able  to  procure  it  otherwise, 
I  will  have  a  manuscript  copy  made  for  you.  You  are  in 
all  probability  acquainted  with  Goldfuss's  great  work  in 
which  so  many  fossil  corals  are  described  and  figured. 
A  few  numbers  of  a  similar  work  on  the  fossil  corals  of 
France,  by  M.  Michelin,  have  lately  appeared,  and  some 
species  have  also  been  described  in  Murchison's  book  on 
the  Silurian  formation. 

'  Esper's  work  on  Zoophytes  can  easily  be  procured 
here — my  copy  cost  three  hundred  francs — and  if  you 
wish  it,  I  will  direct  my  bookseller  to  get  one  for  you 
from  Germany.  In  short,  if,  in  that  way  or  in  any  other, 
I  can  be  of  any  service  to  you,  I  shall  be  very  happy  in 
doing  so,  and  must  beg  you  will  not  hesitate  to  dispose 
fully  of  me.  If  you  wish  to  exchange  any  of  your  dupli- 
cates of  non-described  Crustacea  or  insects  for  European, 
Asiatic,  or  African  species,  I  will  also  negotiate  the  busi- 
ness with  our  national  museum." 

MILNE-EDWARDS   TO   DANA 

"  PARIS,  JARDIN  DU  Roi,  le  20  dec.,  1845. 

"  Je  regrette  beaucoup  de  n'avoir  pu  me  procurer  plutot 
les  renseignements  que  vous  m'avez  demande"  relative- 
ment  a  quelques  uns  des  polypiers  demerits  par  Lamarck, 
et  j'espere  que  ma  lettre  vous  parviendra  encore  en  temps 
utile.  Je  ne  puis  cependant  vous  donner  tous  les  details 
dont  vous  me  dites  avoir  besoin,  car  plusieurs  des  especes 
en  question  ne  se  trouvent  pas  dans  notre  Museum.  La 
collection  de  Lamarck  e"tait  la  proprie"te  particuliere  de 
ce  naturaliste  et  apres  sa  mort  a  £t£  vendu  au  Due  de 
Rivoli,  qui  plusieurs  annees  apres  la  ced£e  au  Museum, 

349 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

mais  dans  cet  intervale  beaucoup  d'e'chantillons  ont  e"te* 
perdus  et  de  ce  nombre  est  V  Astrcea  ringens  de  Lamarck 
et  I' A.  favosa. 

"  Le  Pocillapora  stigmataria  de  Lamarck  n'est  pas  un 
veritable  Pocillapora,  mais  une  espece  faussement  etablie 
par  ce  naturaliste  d'apres  un  fragment  de  Madrepore 
roule"  et  en  fort  mauvais  e"tat,  qui  parait  etre  tres  voisin 
du  M.  laxa  et  surtout  d'une  espece  designee  par  M.  de 
Blanville  sous  le  nom  de  M.  longicyathus. 

"  L'£chantillon  qui  a  servi  a  Lamarck  pour  la  descrip- 
tion de  son  Astrcza  obliqua  est  aussi  en  si  mauvais  £tat  de 
conservation  qu'il  me  semble  difficile  d'en  determiner  le 
veritable  caractere ;  je  suis  cependant  porte*  a  croire  que 
c'est  un  fragment  d'explanaire  eleve"  en  crete  de  fa^on  a 
presenter  deux  rangs  de  loges  obliques  et  adosser  Tune 
a  1'autre;  les  loges  ressemblent  beaucoup  a  celles  de  1'  A. 
myriophthalma. 

"  Dans  Y Astrcza  reticularis  les  cloisons  interloculaires 
sont  tres  e"paisses  comparativement  au  diameter  des  loges 
et  tres  compactes;  elle  s'elevent  aussi  beaucoup  audessus 
du  fond  de  loges  qui  est  e"troit,  de  fagon  que  la  section 
verticale  du  polypier  aurait  a  peu  pres  la  figure  suivante 
[figure  omitted].  II  est  d'ailleurs  a  noter  que  V Astraa 
reticularis  de  MM.  Quoy  et  Gaimard  n'est  pas  du  tout 
1'espece  designed  sous  ce  nom  par  Lamarck.  Un  de  nos 
aides  naturalistes  au  museum,  M.  Rousseau,  s'est  assure 
que  ce  n'est  autre  chose  que  V A.  dipsacea.  Ainsi  que 
vous  le  faites  remarquer,  avec  beaucoup  de  raison,  les  ob- 
servations de  ces  deux  voyageurs  sont  tres  superficielles 
et  ont  grand  besoin  de  verification.  Malheureusement  il 
en  est  de  meme  pour  presque  tout  ce  qui  est  public  ici 
aux  frais  du  Ministere  de  la  Marine,  car  dans  ce  service 
on  ne  veut  embarquer  abord  des  batiments  de  l'e"tat  en 
qualit^  de  naturalistes,  qui  des  chirurgiens  de  marine 
lesquels  sont  ordinairement  d'une  ignorance  complete 
en  tout  ce  qui  touche  a  la  science;  or,  comme  vous  le 
savez  tres  bien,  on  n'improvise  pas  un  zoologiste. 

41  Je  suis  heureux  d'apprendre  que  vos  recherches  dans 
1'hemisphere  sud  ont  e"te"  si  fructueuse  et  que  vous  etes  en 
mesure  d'en  publier  prochainement  les  resultats.  Quant 
au  travail  general  sur  la  classe  des  Polypes,  que  j'ai  promis 
de  publier  dans  Suites  a  Buffon,  je  ne  1'ai  pas  encore  com- 
mencer  et  lorsque  je  le  redigerai  je  ne  manquerai  pas  de 

350 


LETTERS    FROM   MILNE-EDWARDS 

mettre  a  profit  vos  observations  sur  cette  partie  encore  si 
mal  connu  de  la  zoologie.  Le  mot  Alcyodendrum  que 
vous  me  proposez  de  substituer  a  celui  d'alcyonidie  me 
parait  tres  bon. 

"  Adieu,  mon  cher  confrere ;  disposez  librement  de  moi 
si  je  puis  vous  etre  utile  a  quelque  chose;  mais  ne  vous 
etonez  pas  si  je  tarde  quelquefois  a  vous  repondre,  car  je 
voyage  souvent." 

MILNE-EDWARDS  TO  DANA 

"  PARIS,  le  2  juillet,  1846. 

'  J'ai  lu  avec  beaucoup  d'inte"ret  le  volume  sur  la  classe 
des  Polypes  que  vous  avez  bien  voulu  m'envoyer  et  je 
vous  prie  d'agreer  mes  remerciements  pour  ce  souvenir, 
auquel  j'ai  e"te"  tres  sensible.  J'ai  vu  avec  satisfaction 
que  vos  opinions  relativement  aux  questions  nombreuses 
que  sou!6ve  1'histoire  de  ces  animaux,  s'accordent  g£n- 
eralement  avec  celles  que  je  m'e"tais  formee,  et  afin  de  faire 
connaitre  votre  travail  aux  zoologistes  frangais  je  me  suis 
empresse  d'inserer  dans  mon  recueil  (des  Annales  des 
Sciences  Naturelles)  le  tableau  de  classification  a  1'aide 
duquel  vous  avez  resume"  vos  vues  touchant  les  affinites 
naturelles  des  divers  Polypes  proprement  dit.  Je  suis 
e"galement  fort  reconnaissant  pour  1'atlas,  dont  vous 
m'annoncez  1'envoi;  je  ne  1'ai  pas  encore  regu,  mais  des 
que  ce  grand  travail  me  sera  parvenue,  j'en  indiquerai  le 
contenu  aux  lecteurs  des  Annales.  Je  serai  aussi  fort 
d£sireux  de  pouvoir  de  mon  cote"  vous  envoyer  quelques 
petites  publications  et  je  vous  prierai  de  me  dire  com- 
ment je  dois  vous  les  adresser.  Si  pour  faciliter  vos  tra- 
vaux  sur  les  Crustaces  je  puis  vous  etre  utile  soit  en  vous 
donnant  des  renseignements  soit  en  vous  envoyant  des 
echantillons  dont  notre  Museum  peut  disposer,  je  vous 
prierai  aussi  de  m'en  informer  et  d'etre  persuade"  que  ce 
sera  pour  moi  un  plaisir  si  je  puis  vous  etre  agr£able  en 
quoi  que  ce  soit." 

"  PARIS,  le  20  sept.,  1847. 

;<  La  Societe  Philomatique  de  Paris,  a  laquelle  j'ai 
rendu  compte  de  votre  grand  et  important  ouvrage  sur 

351 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT    DANA 

les  Zoophytes,  m'a  charge  de  vous  transmettre  le  diplome 
de  membre  correspondant  qu'elle  vous  a  d£cern6  dans 
une  de  ses  dernieres  seances.  Elle  est  heureuse  de  voir 
qu'aujourdhui  les  sciences  naturelles  sont  cultives  avec 
un  e"gal  succes  des  deux  cote's  de  1'atlantique  et  elle  espere 
que  vous  la  tiendrez  au  courant  de  vos  travaux  ulte"rieurs. 
"  Permettez  moi  aussi  d'ajouter  que  c'est  avec  un  grand 
plaisir  que  je  remplis  cette  mission  et  que  je  ne  negligerai 
aucune  occasion  pour  faire  connaitre  a  mes  compatriots 
les  observations  nouvelles  et  interessantes  dont  vous  en- 
richissez  la  zoologie.  Je  m'occupe  en  ce  moment  de  la 
redaction  du  traite*  g£ne"ral  sur  les  polypiers  recents  et 
fossiles,  dont  je  vous  avais  de"japarle\  et  j'aurai  souvent  a 
y  citer  votre  nom  de  la  maniere  la  plus  elogieuse.  L'ab- 
sence  des  planches,  aux  quelles  vous  renvoyez  souvent 
dans  votre  texte,  m'a  empeche"  de  profiter  autant  que  je 
1'aurais  desir£  de  vos  observations  sur  la  structure  inte- 
rieure  des  Astrees,  &c.,  &c. ;  mais  vous  avez  bien  voulu 
m'annoncer  1'envoi  prochain  de  votre  atlas  et  des  que  je 
1'aurai  sans  les  yeux,  je  me  propose  des  e"tudier  avec  la 
plus  s£rieuse  attention.  II  est  probable  qu'un  grand 
nombre  des  especes,  qui  actuellement  passent  pour  nou- 
velles dans  notre  collection,  se  trouvent  de"crites  dans  votre 
livre  et  qu'a  1'aide  de  vos  planches  il  me  sera  facile  d'y  ap- 
pliquer  vos  noms;  mais  s'il  me  reste  a  cet  £gard  quelqu' 
incertitude,  je  demanderai  la  secours  de  vos  lumieres." 

"  PARIS,  ce  7  octobre,  1849. 

"  Ayant  e"t£  absent  de  Paris  presque  tout  cet  automne, 
je  viens  seulement  de  recevoir  Tinteressant  envoi  que  vous 
avez  bien  voulu  me  faire.  Votre  magnifique  atlas  de 
zoophytologie  est  un  digne  complement  du  grand  travail 
que  vous  avez  de"jk  publi6  sur  le  meme  sujet  et  que  je  me 
plais  a  citer  souvent  comme  Tun  des  livres  les  plus  im- 
portans  dont  cette  branche  de  1'histoire  naturelle  ait  £t£ 
enrichir  de  nos  jours.  Je  dois  aussi  vocer  feliciter  sur  le 
proc£d£  graphique  que  vous  avez  employe" ;  en  esquissant 
la  forme  ge"ne"rale  de  vos  polypiers  et  en  repre"sentant  avec 
detail  une  portion  de  ces  masses  composers  d'une  multi- 
tude d'£l£mens  semblables,  vous  avez  satisfait  a  tous  les 
besoins  de  la  science,  sans  vous  vous  laisser  entrainer 
dans  un  luxe  de  gravure  qui  est  sans  utilite".  Je  regrette 

352 


LETTER   FROM   H.    DE    SAUSSURE 

que  tous  les  grands  voyages,  public's  chez  nous  aux  frais 
de  l'e"tat,  n'aient  pas  etc"  composes  avec  le  meme  soin  et 
executes  avec  le  bon  esprit  dont  vous  aurez  fait  preuve 
dans  cette  occasion. 

"C'est  aussi  avec  grand  plaisir  que  je  vous  vois  travailler 
si  activement  a  nous  faire  connaitre  les  Crustac6s  du  grand 
oce"an.  Cette  partie  de  la  zoologie  a  fait  de  grande  pro- 
gres  depuis  la  publication  de  mon  ouvrage  et  vous  alliez 
y  imprimer  une  nouvelle  et  heureuse  impulsion,  car  le 
naturaliste  qui  a  si  bien  observe"  les  zoophytes  ne  peut 
manquer  de  rendre  de  veritables  services  a  la  science 
chaque  fois  qu'il  dirigera  ses  investigations  vers  un  but 
nouveau." 


FROM   H.  DE   SAUSSURE 

The  author  of  the  next  letter  is  the  celebrated  ento- 
mologist, author  of  Etudes  sur  la  famille  des  Vespides ; 
grandson  of  Horace  Be'ne'dict  de  Saussure,  author  of 
Voyages  dans  les  Alpes ;  and  nephew  of  Theodore  de 
Saussure,  author  of  Recherches  chimiques  sur  la  Vege- 
tation. 

"  GENEVE,  3  juillet,  1857. 

(<  C'est  avec  le  sentiment  de  la  plus  haute  satisfaction 
et  d'une  vivre  reconnaisance  que  j'ai  regu  votre  lettre  du 
29  mai  pas  1'entremise  obligeant  de  Mr.  Fay.  Charge" 
du  department  entomologique  du  muse"e  de  Geneve,  je 
m'occupe  d'en  classer  les  Crustac£s  qui  sont  jusqu'  a 
ce  jour  restes  dans  le  plus  beau  desordre,  et  votre  ouvrage 
me  sera  pour  cela  de  la  plus  grand  utilite.  C'est  du  reste 
un  livre  indispensable  a  tous  les  musses  dont  le  manque 
se  fait  d'autant  plus  sentir  qu'il  repr£sente  l'e"tat  actuel 
de  la  sciences,  ce  qu'aucun  autre  ouvrage  ne  fait. 

Je  suis  bien  d'accord  avec  vous  sur  les  points  que 
vous  me  signalez,  mais  je  crois  qu'il  n'est  pas  possible  de 
conserver  les  myriapodes  parmi  les  crustac£s  comme  le 
font  les  allemands.  Je  ne  sais  si  vous  1'avez  fait  et  je  me 
rejouis  bien  d'avoir  votre  superbe  livre  sous  la  main,  afin 
de  n'etre  plus  arrete  dans  le  travail  qui  concerne  ces  der- 
niers  animaux,  dont  j'ai  rapporte"  une  tres  belle  se"rie  du 
Mexique. 

23  353 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

"  Je  regrette  que  vous  avez  adresse"  votre  ouvrage  a  la 
soci£t£  de  Physique,  etc.,  plutot  qu'  a  moi  personelle- 
ment,  parceque  les  livres  qui  arrivent  a  cette  destination 
sont  remis  a  la  bibliotheque  publique,  d'ou  il  est  tres 
difficile  de  se  les  faire  communiquer  a  domicile.  J'avais 
cru  devoir  en  faire  la  demande  plutot  pour  la  socie"te"  que 
pour  moi,  parceque  j'avais  pense"  qu'  a  Washington  on 
serait  plutot  dispos£  d'envoyer  un  livre  k  une  bibliotheque 
qu'  a  un  particulier.  Je  dois  bien  vous  avertir  que  la 
socie"t£  de  Physique  n'a  rien  d'envoyer  en  ^change  que 
ses  propres  publications  (Memoir es  de  la  Soc.  de  Physique, 
etc.,  de  Geneve,  4°)  qui  sont  uncle's  d'histoire  naturelle, 
de  physique,  d'astronomie,  etc.  Us  contiennent,  entre 
autres,  les  me"moires  pale"ontologiques  de  M.  F.  T.  Pictet 
que  vous  ne  possidez  peut-etre  pas.  J'ai  fait,  dans  la 
derniere  stance  de  la  socie'te',  connaitre  a  mes  collegues 
les  demarches  que  j'avais  faites  aux  fins  d'obtenir  votre 
ouvrage  sur  les  crustace"s,  et  la  r£ponse  favorable  que 
j'avais  obtenir  de  vous.  Cependant  si  vous  consentiez  a 
me  laisser  poss£der  ces  volumes  a  moi  personnellement, 
vous  n'auriez  qu'  a  m'£crire  une  lettre  ad  hoc  pour 
me  dire  que  c'est  a  moi  personnellement  que  vous  envoy  ez 
vos  livres,  et  cette  attestation  suffirait,  d'autant  mieux  que 
de  malheureuses  chicanes  gouvernmentales  et  politiques 
ont  mis  une  barriere  entre  la  socie'te'  et  la  bibliotheque 
de  la  ville.  Ma  bibliotheque  est  du  reste  ouverte  a  tout 
le  monde,  et  comme  je  suis  pour  la  moment  la  seule 
personne  qui  s'occupe  de  crustac£s  a  Geneve,  votre  livre 
serait  aussi  bien  place  chez  moi  qu'  a  la  bibliotheque." 


FROM   CHARLES   LYELL 

"  53  HARLEY  ST.,  LONDON,  N.,  March  28,  1863. 

I  had  already  obtained  your  first  edition  from  Mr. 
Trubnei  when  I  received  your  kind  note  saying  that  you 
had  sent  me  as  a  present  a  copy  of  your  second.  I  waited 
till  this  arrived  to  acknowledge  it,  and  I  have  only  re- 
ceived it  two  days  ago.  It  looks  to  me  a  very  handsome 
book,  and  I  shall  take  it  with  me  to  read  in  my  Easter 
holidays.  Hitherto  I  have  had  no  time  to  peruse  it, 
having  been  busy  preparing  a  second  edition  of  my  An- 
tiquity of  Man,  a  copy  of  which  shall  be  sent  to  you  as 

354 


LETTER  FROM  CHARLES  LYELL 

soon  as  it  is  ready,  which  I  hope  will  be  in  less  than  a 
fortnight. 

I  have  made  a  good  many  corrections  and  given  a  list 
of  the  most  important  ones  in  the  Appendix  for  the 
benefit  of  those  who  possess  the  first  edition.  As  to  my 
Manual,  it  has  been  out  of  print  more  than  a  year  and 
much  asked  for,  but  I  found  it  more  agreeable  to  indulge 
in  a  new  book,  and  when  I  shall  find  time  to  re-edit  the 
old  one,  I  cannot  say.  In  the  meantime  I  am  glad  you 
have  started  a  Manual,  with  American  illustrations,  by 
which  we  shall  all  profit. 

'  Your  theory  of  the  hands  of  man  being  at  the  service 
of  the  head  and  not  wanted  for  locomotion  struck  me 
much,  though  the  comparison  with  beings  so  remote  as 
the  crustaceans  appeared  rather  dangerous.  I  have  al- 
ways doubted  the  quadrumanous  character  of  the  an- 
thropoid apes  as  a  mark  of  inferiority,  and  have  felt  sure 
that  had  man  possessed  an  opposable  great  toe,  which 
might,  for  aught  I  see,  be  reconcilable  with  an  erect 
position,  there  would  have  been  no  end  in  Bridgewater 
treatises  of  praises  of  the  Creator  for  having  given  four 
hands  for  the  service  of  the  head  when  we  were  not 
moving  from  place  to  place. 

"  Allow  me  again  to  thank  you  for  your  new  edition, 
about  which,  when  I  have  studied  it,  you  will,  I  hope, 
let  me  write  again.  I  was  truly  glad  to  hear  that  you 
had  been  able  so  vigorously  to  resume  work. 

"  Darwin  is  not  well,  and  talks  of  another  water  cure. 
He  might,  I  think,  dispense  with  this  violent  remedy  if 
he  could  lie  fallow  for  some  months." 


The  next  three  letters  illustrate  Dana's  wide-spread 
fame.  Unexpected  tributes  from  Humboldt,  Gladstone, 
and  Thiers. 

S.    F.    B.    MORSE   TO   DANA 
A  word  from  Baron  Humboldt 

"  BERLIN,  PRUSSIA,  August  25,  1856. 

"  I  cannot  refrain  from  occupying  a  brief  moment  to 
acquaint  you  with  an  incident  which  occurred  on 

355 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

Saturday  on  my  interesting  interview  with  Baron  Hum- 
boldt.  I  had  scarcely  seated  myself,  after  a  most  flattering 
recognition  and  kind  reception  by  him,  when  he  spoke 
of  the  science  of  America  as  commanding  at  the  present 
time  much  admiration  in  Europe,  and,  in  connection 
with  the  subject,  he  spoke  most  enthusiastically  of  your 
work,  characterizing  it  as  the  most  splendid  contribution 
to  science  of  the  present  day.  I  could  not  but  think  that 
such  an  opinion  from  such  a  man  must  be  gratifying  to 
you,  as  it  certainly  was  to  me,  and  so  I  have  taken  the 
liberty  to  communicate  it  to  you." 


WILLIAM  E.    GLADSTONE   TO   DANA 

41  Dec.  28,  1885. 

"  I  have  had  the  honor  of  knowing  several  members  of 
your  family.  I  met  your  own  name  as  that  of  a  recog- 
nized authority  in  the  last  edition  of  Phillips's  Manual  of 
Geology ;  and  it  gives  me  particular  pleasure  to  receive 
the  excellent  paper  which  you  have  sent  me,  and  of  which 
I  have  just  had  time  to  make  use  in  preparing  for  the 
forthcoming  number  of  the  Nineteenth  Century  my  rejoin- 
der to  Professor  Huxley's  criticisms.  I  shall  do  myself 
the  honor  to  send  you  in  due  time  a  separate  copy  of  the 
next  article,  and  with  cordial  thanks  for  your  kindness  I 
have  the  honor  to  remain,"  etc.,  etc. 


DANA  TO   GLADSTONE 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  Jan.  22,  1886. 

"  It  gave  me  great  pleasure  to  receive  your  letter  of 
the  28th  ult.,  and  also  to  have  from  you  a  copy  of  your 
admirable  reply  to  the  eminent  professor.  Your  argu- 
ments bearing  on  the  days  of  Genesis,  from  the  first  of 
the  six  to  the  last,  met  all  reasonable  objections  that 
science  can  make.  I  may  add  that  it  is  a  gratification 
to  be  sustained  in  all  important  points  by  your  judgment. 
The  recognition  of  the  nebula  theory  in  the  interpreta- 
tion appears  to  be  strongly  favored  by  the  Septuagint 
translation— the  earth  was  unformed  and  invisible." 

356 


REMARKS   OF   TRIERS 
ROBERT   C.    WINTHROP   TO   DANA 

An  interview  with  Thiers 

"  BROOKLINE,  MASS.,  19  Sept.,  1877. 

"  The  recent  death  of  Thiers,  of  which  I  have  just  been 
reading  some  of  the  notices  in  foreign  journals,  has  re- 
minded me  of  something  which  will  be  interesting  to  you, 
and  which  I  ought,  perhaps,  to  have  communicated  to 
you  sooner. 

"  In  the  summer  of  1875,  being  in  Paris,  I  dined  with 
Thiers.  I  was  with  him  at  his  house  on  two  or  three 
other  occasions.  During  one  of  our  interviews  he  talked 
about  science  and  scientific  theories.  I  had  referred,  I 
believe,  to  the  then  recent  death  of  Agassiz,  and  to  his 
resistance  to  the  evolution  doctrine,  of  which  I  thought 
Thiers  seemed  an  earnest  opponent.  I  may  have  misap- 
prehended him  in  this,  as  he  talked  only  in  his  own 
language,  and  with  great  rapidity  and  some  indistinct- 
ness. 

"  But  suddenly  he  turned  and  inquired,  '  Do  you  know 
Monsieur  Dana,  a  professor  at  New  Haven  ? '  I  was 
glad  to  be  able  to  tell  him  that  I  did,  but  that  I  had  not 
met  him  as  often  as  I  could  have  wished,  owing  to  his 
residence  in  a  different  State. 

"  He  then  said  that  he  had  recently  read  some  work  of 
yours,  probably  the  Corals  and  Coral  Islands,  with  the 
greatest  gratification,  and  that  there  was  no  American 
scientist  for  whom  he  had  a  higher  respect.  I  am  by  no 
means  sure  that  he  limited  his  remark  to  American  scien- 
tific writers.  He  seemed  greatly  impressed  with  your 
views,  and  repeatedly  expressed  his  warm  admiration  for 
them ;  and  I  remember  well  that  before  I  left  him,  on 
one  of  these  occasions,  he  said :  '  If  you  meet  Monsieur 
Dana,  present  my  compliments  and  respects  to  him.' 

Possibly  you  had  sent  him  a  copy  of  one  of  your 
works  and  he  may  not  have  acknowledged  it,  for  I  believe 
he  rarely  acknowledged  anything.  But  if  he  picked  it  up 
accidentally,  or  sought  it  out  purposely,  and  read  it,  his 
compliment  is  all  the  more  notable. 

I  observe,  in  the  accounts  I  have  been  reading  to- 
day, that  in  a  paper  supplementary  to  his  will,  giving 

357 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

some  account  of  his  religious  as  well  as  political  convic- 
tions, he  says  that  '  Since  he  has  lived  in  retirement,  he 
has  thought  much  about  religion,  and  has  become  con- 
vinced that  it  is  the  basis  of  every  organized  society.  He 
will  therefore  die  believing  in  a  God,  one  and  eternal,  the 
Creator  of  all  things,  whose  mercy  he  implores  for  his 
soul.' 

"  I  quote  this  from  a  Paris  letter  in  the  New  York 
World ;  I  do  not  vouch  for  its  accuracy. 

"  He  may  have  been  composing  this  paper,  or  at  least 
thinking  on  this  topic,  when  I  saw  him,  as  he  said  very 
much  the  same  thing  to  me,  in  the  same  conversation  in 
which  he  referred  to  you  and  your  writings. 

"  You  may  thus,  it  may  be,  have  aided  the  faith  of  a 
great  French  statesman. 

"  If  I  had  been  able  to  attend  the  meeting  of  the  Pea- 
body  Trustees  in  June,  I  should  have  been  sure  to  tell 
you  of  Thiers's  compliment,  and  to  have  communicated 
his  respects  to  you.  But  it  is  only  the  reading  of  this 
extract  from  his  posthumous  letter,  which  has  recalled 
the  subject  of  his  remarks  during  the  same  conversation. 

"  I  am  sure  you  will  be  interested  sufficiently  in  what 
I  have  written  to  make  due  allowance  for  so  long  and 
offhand  a  note.  You  may  have  had  the  same  account 
from  Thiers  himself,  or  from  other  sources." 

To  this  letter  of  Mr.  Winthrop  Dana  replied : 

'  Your  letter  of  the  iQth  has  been  received,  and  I 
hasten  to  acknowledge  your  kindness  in  thus  writing  me. 
Its  contents  were  a  source  of  great  surprise  and  also  of 
deep  gratification.  I  must  first  thank  you  for  the  very 
cordial  expressions  of  your  letter,  and  then  for  its  revela- 
tions. 

"  I  had  not  had  the  slightest  suspicion  that  Thiers  had 
ever  heard  of  my  name  or  of  my  works,  or  that  I  had 
written  anything  which  could  attract  the  attention  of 
the  great  statesman.  Unsought  praise  from  such  a 
source  is  certainly  a  rich  reward  for  labor. 

'  Your  supposition,  based  on  the  turn  in  the  conversa- 
tion you  had  with  him,  that  my  writings  had  even  had  an 
influence  on  his  religious  belief,  I  wish  I  could  think 

358 


DANA'S   LETTER   ON   CANKER-WORMS 

true.  The  work  of  mine  directly  leading  the  mind  in 
that  direction  is  my  Manual  of  Geology,  especially  pages 
578,  579-  I  should  like  to  believe  that  in  that  statement 
of  the  teachings  of  geological  history,  Thiers  had  found 
a  convincing  argument.  But  it  is  happiness  enough  to 
know  that,  however  taught  or  influenced,  his  great  mind 
and  soul  reached  the  truth  and  rested  in  it.  Thanks 
again  to  you  for  your  letter. 

"  It  would  give  us  all  great  pleasure  to  see  you  here  at 
another  meeting  of  our  Peabody  Museum  Trustees.  Our 
building,  I  think,  will  have  your  full  approval,  alike  for 
its  architecture  and  its  fitness  for  museum  purposes.  It 
has  been  finished  and  furnished  without  exceeding  the 
hundred  thousand  dollars  appropriated  to  it  by  our  great 
benefactor,  Mr.  Peabody — not  even  a  debt  of  ten  dollars 
being  left  for  the  future  to  contend  with.  We  hope  that 
at  least  by  another  summer  we  shall  have  the  pleasure  of 
waiting  on  you  through  its  various  rooms." 


VII 

SEVERAL   LETTERS  OF   DANA 
TO   THE   NEW   HAVEN   PALLADIUM 

Fighting  the  Canker-  Worms 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  June  4,  1864. 

"  The  plague  of  the  canker-worm  is  upon  us,  and  per- 
haps, therefore,  a  few  words  on  the  best  mode  of  averting 
the  evil  in  the  future  will  receive  attention. 

"  The  use  of  whale  oil  in  lead  troughs  may  be  made  a 
perfect  prevention.  We  propose  to  explain  the  reason 
why,  and  the  precautions  necessary  for  success.  The 
canker-worm,  as  it  is  called,  is  the  caterpillar  or  young  of 
a  kind  of  miller.  The  eggs  are  laid  upon  the  trunk  and 
the  branches  of  the  trees,  mainly  in  the  autumn  before 
the  ground  is  frozen  and  in  the  spring  after  it  has  begun 
to  thaw.  The  laying  commences  early  in  October  and 
becomes  most  active  in  the  course  of  November  and  early 
December,  Through  the  winter  it  is  sparingly  continued, 

359 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT    DANA 

some  females  coming  out  of  the  ground  and  climbing  the 
trees  even  when  the  ground  is  frozen,  and  many  when- 
ever there  is  a  thaw.  In  the  spring,  the  females  are  again 
numerous,  though  far  less  so  than  in  November. 

"  The  male  of  the  insect  is  a  grayish-winged  miller, 
about  two-thirds  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  much  like  an 
ordinary  moth  in  general  form.  The  female  is  a  little 
shorter  and  much  stouter  than  the  male,  and  without 
wings.  Being  thus  wingless,  they  have  to  crawl  up  the 
trees  in  order  to  lay  their  eggs  upon  its  branches.  In 
the  proper  season  the  females  may  be  seen  on  their  march 
up  the  trunk,  though  so  like  the  bark  in  color  as  to  re- 
quire some  little  attention  to  find  them.  The  males  at 
the  same  time,  especially  just  at  dark,  are  flitting  about 
near  the  trees  in  great  numbers.  Some  of  the  females 
blunderingly  ascend  posts  and  fences  and  the  sides  of 
houses,  and  in  such  places  lay  their  patches  of  eggs.  But 
in  general,  they  succeed  in  finding  the  trunk  of  a  tree, 
and  especially  their  favorite,  the  elm ;  and  when  once  on 
the  ascent,  they  continue  upward  until  they  have  reached 
the  extremities  of  the  branches,  or  else  until  the  laying 
time,  which  usually  comes  from  a  few  hours  to  a  few  days 
after  the  ascent  is  commenced.  The  eggs  are  thus  dis- 
tributed everywhere  over  the  tree,  from  the  lower  part  of 
the  trunk  to  the  top.  They  are  consequently  placed  for 
the  most  part  where  the  young  as  soon  as  hatched  (in 
May)  will  find  food  near  at  hand.  The  eggs  laid  on  the 
fences  and  sides  of  houses  hatch  like  others,  but  the 
young  from  these  generally  die  for  want  of  food. 

'  The  young  from  the  eggs  are  the  canker-worms,  and 
the  canker-worm  is  hence  the  young  state  of  a  miller, 
just  as  the  caterpillar  is  the  young  of  an  ordinary  butterfly. 
These  worms  when  they  leave  the  trees  in  June  (generally 
before  or  by  the  loth)  bury  themselves  in  the  ground, 
where  each  becomes  a  chrysalis,  and  in  this  state  they 
remain,  without  locomotion  or  feeding,  until  ready  to 
emerge  as  perfect  insects  in  October  and  the  following 
months.  A  single  female  lays  on  an  average  75  eggs, 
and  if  each  canker-worm  in  a  season  eats  10  leaves  the 
brood  of  one  single  female  may  consume  750  leaves. 

Now  the  fact  that  the  females  are  wingless  renders 
the  troughs  of  oil  around  the  tree  a  sure  means  of  de- 
stroying them ;  for  the  slightest  besmearing  of  the  body 

360 


DANA'S  LETTER  ON  CANKER-WORMS 

closes   up   the  breathing   holes   arrayed  along  its  sides 
(called  in  science  spiracles). 

[<  But  to  make  the  method  of  prevention  sure  the  oil 
must  be  kept  in  the  troughs  throughout  the  season  of  the 
ascent  of  the  females.  It  is  hence  to  be  noted : 

"  i.  That  the  oil  may  be  blown  out  by  the  winds. 

"  2.  That  the  rains  may  fill  the  troughs  with  water  so 
that  the  oil  (which  always  floats  on  water)  may  thus  be 
floated  out. 

"  3.  The  troughs  as  put  up  are  often  not  horizontal,  so 
that  all  the  oil  goes  to  one  side  and  flows  out  at  the  first 
rain-storm. 

"  4.  The  troughs  are  often  too  shallow;  and  the  cover 
of  lead  above  is  too  narrow  to  serve  as  any  protection 
against  the  rain. 

'  5.  The  oil,  when  not  altogether  neglected,  is  gener- 
ally not  put  in  early  enough  in  the  autumn  and  spring, 
nor  continued  long  enough. 

6.  The  insects  sometimes  fill  up  the  troughs  by 
their  dead  bodies  before  the  season  of  ascent  is  passed, 
and  thus  form  a  bridge  for  aftercomers. 

'  The  following,  then,  are  the  rules  to  be  regarded : 

"  i.  Have  the  lead  troughs  well  put  up  and  of  good 
size. 

"2.  In  the  autumn,  put  in  oil  as  early  as  October,  and 
keep  it  in  until  the  ground  is  frozen  solid  or  covered  with 
snow. 

"  3.  In  the  winter,  fill  up  again  when  the  frost  is  out 
of  the  ground,  even  for  a  few  inches. 

"4.  In  the  spring,  put  in  oil,  whenever  the  frost 
begins  to  leave  the  ground,  and  keep  it  in  until  the 
canker-worms  appear.  As  the  females  lay  their  eggs  on 
the  trunk  of  the  tree  below  the  lead  trough  as  well  as 
above  on  the  branches,  if  the  oil  is  not  kept  in  until  after 
the  hatching  in  May,  the  young  which  then  appear  may 
crawl  up  to  their  feeding  place. 

'  5.  Examine  the  troughs  once  a  fortnight  after  the  oil 
has  been  put  in  for  the  season  and  fill  up  whenever 
needed,  clearing  out  the  dead  moths  that  have  accumu- 
lated. 

"  6.   Examine  the  troughs  after  every  heavy  storm. 

"  7.  Fill  the  troughs  each  time  from  one-third  to  one- 
half  their  depth ;  more  oil  is  a  waste  as  it  is  so  liable  to 

361 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

be  thrown  out  by  the  winds,  and  it  is  also  quite  unneces- 
sary if  the  troughs  receive  proper  attention  afterwards. 
Poor  lamp  oil,  if  the  above  rules  are  regarded,  is  prefer- 
able to  the  best,  since  it  is  thicker,  and  therefore  not  so 
easily  displaced. 

"  Although  oil  is  a  sure  means  of  protection  from  the 
canker-worm,  there  is  an  obvious  objection  to  its  use  in 
the  danger  in  windy  weather  to  the  clothes  of  those  pass- 
ing beneath,  and  it  is  desirable  that  ingenuity  should  be 
set  to  work  toward  devising  something  better.  Mr.  E. 
Hayes,  printer,  uses  for  his  apple  trees  a  refuse  printing- 
ink  with  perfect  success;  and  if  a  material  of  like  nature 
could  be  made  at  a  moderate  price  it  would  be  all  that 
could  be  desired.  He  puts  around  the  tree  a  girt  of  stout 
brown  paper,  about  ten  inches  wide  (tying  it  on  with  a 
string),  and  then  besmears  the  paper  with  the  ink.  The 
material  is  not  removed  by  moisture  or  rain,  and,  unlike 
tar,  retains  its  adhesiveness  for  two  or  three  months 
through  all  kinds  of  weather,  and  only  requires  occasional 
attention  to  see  that  the  moths  have  not  so  filled  it  with 
their  bodies  as  to  make  a  safe  way  for  others.  Printing- 
ink  consists  chiefly  of  boiled  and  burnt  linseed  oil  with 
rosin  and  lampblack.  The  lampblack  is  not  essential 
for  the  purpose  here  in  view. 

"  Some  readers  may  be  interested  to  know  that  the 
canker-worm  miller  belongs  to  a  group  under  the  butter- 
fly division  of  insects,  called  geometers — a  term  that  alludes 
(like  that  of  measure  worm,  sometimes  applied  to  the 
canker-worm)  to  the  mode  of  locomotion  of  the  worms. 
And  in  this  group  it  pertains  to  the  genus  anisopteryx — 
so  named  (from  the  Greek)  because  the  males  and  females 
differ  as  regards  the  wings." 

TO   SPENCER   F.    BAIRD 
The  National  Academy  of  Sciences.     Death  of  Silliman. 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  Dec.  10,  1864. 

11  As  the  time  for  our  January  meeting  of  the  National 
Academy  approaches,  I  become  more  and  more  convinced 
that  I  ought  not  to  encounter  the  labor  and  fatigue  of 
the  occasion,  Had  I  no  duties  but  those  of  a  private  in 

363 


NATIONAL   ACADEMY  OF   SCIENCE 

the  Academy  I  should  have  less  fear.  But  with  the  cares 
of  President,  which  involve  meetings  of  council,  as  well 
as  all  business  meetings,  at  least,  of  the  Academy,  and 
much  more  of  an  outside  nature,  I  am  sure  I  should  be 
unwise  to  risk  attendance.  I  should  return  here  after  a 
hard  week  to  do  double  duty  in  college  for  the  first  ten 
days  because  of  the  absence  from  the  commencement  of 
the  term  here  which  it  would  require,  my  geological 
course  being  on  my  hands.  I  tried  to  have  the  geology 
deferred  to  the  latter  half  of  our  term,  so  that  I  might 
have  a  respite  after  the  meeting  before  entering  upon  its 
duties;  but  the  arrangements  could  not  be  made.  I  am 
sorry  to  be  absent  for  many  reasons.  I  had  concluded 
to  resign  the  vice-presidency  because  of  Bache's  illness, 
and  my  own  impaired  health,  thinking  that  the  Academy 
should  have  some  one  capable  of  performing  the  duties 
of  President  in  the  presidential  chair,  and  not  wishing  to 
be  in  the  way  of  an  appointment  of  the  right  man  for 
the  place.  But  on  broaching  the  subject  to  one  or  two 
friends  I  have  been  advised  not  to  think  of  it.  I  should 
much  prefer  now  to  throw  up  the  position ;  for  besides 
my  incapabilities  from  imperfect  health,  I  should  enjoy 
myself  far  more  if  I  could  have  my  time  and  strength  to 
mingle  socially  with  the  members  present.  At  New 
Haven  the  business  meetings  of  each  morning  so  used  me 
up  that  I  could  call  on  no  one  and  had  to  avoid  all  eve- 
ning intercourse  with  friends  in  the  house,  or  with  those 
that  might  call.  I  should  have  been  glad  to  have  called 
on  Professor  Henry,  for  one,  and  to  have  seen  him  at  my 
house.  But  it  was  not  possible.  I  think  I  have  gained 
a  little  since  summer,  but  only  a  little.  The  past  fort- 
night has  brought  extra  trial  and  fatigue.  I  may  be  in 
Washington  in  the  spring,  and  will  then  see  you  and  Mrs. 
Baird.  Please  give  her  my  very  kind  regards.  Mrs. 
Dana  would  thank  her  warmly  for  her  very  kind  letter 
received  last  week,  and  sends  her  love  to  her  and  to  your 
daughter. 

"Our  circle  is  most  sadly  bereaved  in  the  loss  of  its 
centre  of  light  and  affection.  Thanksgiving  was  to  have 
brought  us  a  union  of  families  at  dinner  in  my  house. 
The  morning  came,  but,  before  the  sun  was  faintly  up, 
Professor  Silliman  had  gone  from  us,  and  we  were  left  to 
mourn.  Yet  so  peaceful  was  his  death,  so  in  harmony 

363 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

with  his  life,  that  we  found  occasion  for  rejoicing  amid  our 
tears." 

TO   JULIUS   H.    WARD 
Respecting  James  G.  Percival,  the  Geologist  of  Connecticut 

"  NEW  HAVEN,  November  6,  1865. 

"  In  compliance  with  my  promise,  I  send  you  my 
opinion  of  Percival  as  the  Connecticut  geologist. 

"  In  the  expression  Percival  the  geologist,  few  will 
recognize  a  reference  to  Percival  the  poet;  and  yet,  in 
my  opinion,  no  one  in  the  country  has  done  better  work 
in  geology  or  work  of  greater  value  to  the  science.  His 
Geological  Report  on  the  State  of  Connecticut  is  certainly 
the  most  unpoetical  of  works,  it  containing  not  even  the 
most  obvious  deductions  from  his  observations.  But 
Percival  had  not  finished  his  survey  to  his  own  satisfac- 
tion (which  perhaps  he  never  would  have  done  with  such 
views  as  he  held  of  accuracy  and  perfection  in  research), 
when  he  was  called  upon  for  his  Report ;  and,  being  un- 
willing, in  his  sincerity  to  nature,  to  put  forward  so  soon 
any  inferences  of  his  own,  he  published  only  the  bare 
facts  arranged  in  their  driest  geographical  order.  Yet  in 
this  dry  detail,  and  the  admirable  map  accompanying  the 
volume,  there  is  not  only  testimony  to  assiduous  labor, 
but  an  exhibition  of  results  sufficient  to  teach  philosophy 
to  the  mind  capable  of  appreciating  them.  The  practical 
or  mineralogical  part  of  the  survey  was  in  the  hands  of 
Prof.  C.  U.  Shepard,  leaving  to  Percival  the  topographi- 
cal and  general  geology. 

On  entering  upon  his  duties,  Percival  saw  before  him 
two  great  problems :  first,  the  character  and  origin  of  the 
trap  ridges  of  the  State,  such  as  East  and  West  Rocks 
near  New  Haven,  the  Hanging  Hills  of  Meriden,  and 
other  similar  heights  to  the  north  and  south, — a  most 
striking  feature  throughout  central  Connecticut;  and, 
secondly,  the  characters  and  origin  of  the  granitic  series 
of  rocks  which  prevail  through  all  the  rest  of  the  State. 
Having  lived  from  his  youth  among  the  trap  hills,  the 
first  of  these  departments  of  the  Survey  engaged  his  earli- 
est and  longest  attention,  and  was  most  nearly  completed. 

"  It  was  the  supposition  of  older  geologists  that  West 

364 


ON  PERCIVAL'S  GEOLOGY  OF  CONNECTICUT 

Rock  near  New  Haven,  and  Mount  Tom  in  Massachu- 
setts, were  parts  of  one  continuous  trap  range.  His  ob- 
servations early  showed  that  this  was  wholly  an  error; 
that  there  was  no  one  line ;  that,  on  the  contrary,  many 
ranges  existed  having  the  same  general  north  and  south 
course ;  and,  moreover,  that  each  was  made  up  of  a  series 
of  isolated  parts.  These  trap  rocks  of  Connecticut,  as 
has  been  well  proved,  and  as  was  early  indicated  by 
Professor  Silliman,  are  intrusive  or  igneous  rocks, — rocks 
that  fill  fractures  of  the  earth's  crust,  having  come  up  in 
a  melted  state  from  the  earth's  interior  at  the  time  when 
the  fractures  were  made ;  and  hence  Percival's  observa- 
tions proved  that  there  had  been,  not  one  long-continuous 
fracture  through  the  State  from  New  Haven  to  the  regions 
of  Mount  Tom  and  beyond  for  the  ejections  of  liquid 
trap  rock,  but,  instead,  a  series  of  openings  along  a  com- 
mon line,  and  that  there  were  several  such  lines  running 
a  nearly  parallel  course  over  a  broad  region  of  country. 
He  also  found  that  the  ridges  which  compose  a  range  do 
not  always  lie  directly  in  the  same  line,  but  that  often  the 
parts  which  follow  one  another  are  successively  to  the 
east  of  one  another,  or  to  the  west  (en  e'chelon,  as  the  French 
style  it);  and  further,  that  the  parts  of  the  component 
ridges  of  a  range  were  often  curved  or  a  succession  of 
curving  lines.  He  discovered,  too,  that  in  the  region  of 
the  Meriden  Hanging  Hills  the  trap  ridges  take  a  singu- 
lar east  and  west  bend  across  the  great  central  valley 
of  the  State, — a  course  wholly  at  variance  with  the  old 
notions. 

'  The  work  which  he  accomplished  was,  in  the  first 
place,  an  extended  topographical  survey  of  his  portion  of 
the  State ;  and,  secondly,  a  thorough  examination  of  the 
structure  and  relations  of  the  trap  ridges,  with  also  those 
of  the  associated  sandstone.  And  it  brought  out,  as  its 
grand  result,  a  system  of  general  truths  with  regard  to 
the  fractures  of  the  earth's  crust  which,  as  geologists  are 
beginning  to  see,  are  the  very  same  that  are  fundamental 
in  the  constitution  of  mountain  chains.  For  this  com- 
bination of  many  approximately  parallel  lines  of  ranges 
in  one  system,  the  composite  structure  of  the  several 
ranges,  and  the  en  echelon,  or  advancing  and  retreating 
arrangement  of  the  successive  ridges  of  a  range,  are  com- 
mon features  of  mountain  chains.  The  earth's  great 

365 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

mountains  and  the  trap  ranges  of  central  New  England 
are  results  of  subterranean  forces  acting  upon  the  earth's 
crust  according  to  common  laws.  The  State  of  Connec- 
ticut, through  the  mind  and  labors  of  Percival,  has  con- 
tributed the  best  and  fullest  exemplification  of  the  laws 
yet  obtained,  and  thus  prepared  the  way  for  a  correct 
understanding  of  the  great  features  of  the  globe. 

"  The  red  sandstone  rocks  of  the  region  teach  that,  in 
mediaeval  geological  time,  the  waters  made  a  continuous 
estuary  from  New  Haven,  on  Long  Island  Sound,  to 
northern  Massachusetts, — one  continuous  Connecticut 
River,  or  estuary,  with  New  Haven  as  its  southern  ter- 
minus. The  question  then  suggests  itself,  why  does  not 
the  river  flow  now  in  this  Connecticut  Valley  down  to 
New  Haven  Bay  ?  Percival's  investigations  afford  the 
answer,  although  he  has  not  suggested  it.  He  shows  on 
his  map,  as  observed  above,  that  the  trap  ridges  make  a 
nearly  east  and  west  course  across  the  valley  in  the  region 
of  the  Meriden  Hills,  just  opposite  the  spot  where  the 
Connecticut  River  takes  its  eastern  bend.  Evidently  the 
making  of  these  hills,  that  is,  the  rending  of  the  earth's 
crust,  the  ejection  of  the  melted  trap  rock,  and  the  ac- 
companying uplifting  of  the  surface,  might  well  have 
forced  the  river  out  of  its  older  course,  and,  without  a 
doubt,  it  so  did ;  and  thus  New  Haven  lost  its  great  river. 

'  Percival  pursued  his  second  subject,  that  of  the 
granitic  rocks,  with  similar  fidelity,  and  mapped  out  with 
care  the  several  formations.  The  State,  however,  was  too 
large  for  the  satisfactory  completion  of  the  Survey  in  the 
short  time  allotted  to  it.  The  subject,  besides,  was 
vastly  more  complex  and  difficult  than  that  of  the  trap 
ridges  and  the  associated  sandstone.  He  began  the  work 
well,  but  had  to  leave  it  for  some  future  observer  to  finish. 

'  With  regard  to  these  rocks,  his  mind  became  early 
entangled  with  a  theory,  bold  and  comprehensive,  and 
likely  to  captivate  a  poetical  mind,  but  one  which  geo- 
logical science  has  never  favored.  It  was,  however,  with 
him,  only  an  incentive  to  more  scrutinizing  research.  He 
thought  of  it  and  talked  about  it  at  great  length  at  times, 
with  his  one  or  two  friends  who  had  ears  for  such  sub- 
jects. But  his  speculations  nowhere  appear  in  his  Report. 
His  labors,  moreover,  were  not  without  practical  re- 
sults ;  for  he  was  the  first  to  explain  correctly  the  origin 


DANA'S   ASCENT   OF   VESUVIUS,    1834 

of  the  iron-ore  beds  of  Kent,   and  similar  beds  in  the 
Green  Mountain  range. 

"  It  is  greatly  to  be  desired  that  the  biography  you 
have  in  hand  should  contain  the  map  *  of  Connecticut 
which  illustrates  his  Geological  Report.  With  but  brief 
explanations,  especially  if  the  trap  ridges  and  dikes  were 
colored,  it  would  give  to  the  reader  the  grander  results  of 
the  Survey,  which  few  are  acquainted  with,  even  among 
those  that  are  especially  interested  in  such  subjects,  be- 
cause of  the  limited  edition  of  the  Report  published  by  the 
State." 

TO   B.    SILLIMAN 
Ascent  of  Mt.  Vesuvius,  in  1834. 

This  selection  of  letters  will  be  brought  to  a  close  by 
the  insertion  of  one  of  the  earliest  letters  written  by  Pro- 
fessor Dana  on  a  scientific  theme.  It  was  printed  long 
ago  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science.  To  the  general 
reader  this  letter  will  appear  somewhat  dry;  but  those 
who  are  interested  in  the  development  of  Professor 
Dana's  mind,  and  in  his  career  as  an  observer  of  geo- 
logical phenomena,  will  perceive  that  this  ascent  of 
Vesuvius  made  a  strong  impression  on  the  youthful  stu- 
dent and  that  he  often  recurred  to  this  experience  in 
subsequent  years,  and  especially  in  his  study  of  the 
Hawaiian  volcanoes. 

"  U.  S.  FRIGATE  United  States,  SMYRNA,  July  12,  1834. 

"  It  would  have  afforded  me  much  gratification  to  have 
had  it  in  my  power  to  have  communicated  with  Dr.  Gen- 
mellaro  of  Catania,  agreeable  to  the  request  I  received 
from  you  through  Mr.  Herrick.  But  we  were  subject  to 
the  disappointment  of  not  even  touching  the  coast  of 
Sicily  on  our  course  from  Naples  to  this  place.  We  did 
flatter  ourselves,  and  with  no  little  confidence,  that  an 
anchor  would  be  dropped  at  Messina,  and  our  ship  was 

*  On  account  of  the  cumbersome  form  in  which  this  map  was  printed,  it 
cannot  easily  be  reproduced. 

367 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

run  partly  in  the  harbor,  as  if  our  expectations  were  to 
be  realized.  But  our  course  was  suddenly  changed,  and 
in  a  short  time  the  new  report  was  afloat  that  Smyrna  was 
our  next  port ;  that  we  were  not  even  to  touch  at  Malta, 
as  we  had  to  that  moment  expected.  A  few  days'  stay 
at  Messina  would  have  given  me  an  opportunity  to  have 
communicated  by  letter  with  Dr.  Genmellaro,  which  is 
what  I  have  earnestly  desired.  Our  vessels  never  enter 
the  harbor  of  Catania,  because  of  its  want  of  depth  of 
water.  Possibly  on  our  return  we  may  visit  some  port 
in  Sicily.  If  so  I  shall  not  fail  to  use  the  means  thus 
afforded  to  comply  with  your  request.  Supposing  it  pos- 
sible that  a  statement  of  the  present  condition  of  Vesuvius, 
which  I  had  the  pleasure  of  visiting  when  at  Naples  a  few 
weeks  since,  may  be  of  some  interest  to  you,  I  would  take 
the  liberty  of  addressing  you  an  account  of  my  observa- 
tions. 

"  The  volcano  for  many  years  has  almost  incessantly 
shown  some  signs  of  life;  but  since  the  summer  of  1832 
it  has  been  and  still  is,  on  the  whole,  in  what  is  con- 
sidered a  tranquil  state.  This  was  very  much  the  case 
when  we  first  arrived,  May  2Qth,  and  hence  in  my  first 
view  of  Vesuvius  I  was  quite  disappointed.  I  saw  a 
mountain  rising  before  me  to  the  moderate  height  of 
3600  feet,*  from  a  broad  base,  and  with  an  acclivity  by 
no  means  steep,  and  having  at  a  distant  view  of  eight 
miles  nothing  particularly  bold  or  rugged  in  its  outline. 
Some  variety  was  afforded  by  its  double  summit,  Somma 
standing  near  by  to  the  north  and  nearly  equalling  Vesu- 
vius in  height.  The  crater  was  enveloped  in  a  light 
cloud,  such  as  is  usual  about  elevated  peaks,  whose  cold 
soil  condenses  the  vapor  of  the  atmosphere.  In  this  in- 
stance, however,  I  supposed  the  cloud  to  have  been  the 
vapor  condensed  as  it  issued  from  the  crater;  yet  .there 
was  nothing  in  the  appearance  to  convince  one  that  such 
was  the  case. 

'  Vesuvius  resembled  a  volcano  no  more  than  other 
summits  bounding  the  horizon  to  the  south  of  it;  except 
in  its  brownish-black  sides,  which  alone  told  its  real 
nature.  Thus  it  was,  till  favored  by  the  darkness  of  the 

*  Height  of  Vesuvius,  4200  feet ;  of  Monte  Somma,  3700  feet. — Century 
Dictionary  of  Names. 

368 


ASCENT   OF   VESUVIUS,    1834 

evening,  when  it  commenced  to  exhibit  some  evidences 
of  its  real  nature.  The  vapory  cloud  which  shrouded  its 
summit  was  then  bright  with  the  light  reflected  from  the 
crater;  and  there  were  ejections,  yet  not  very  frequent, 
of  melted  lava  and  heated  cinders,  to  a  considerable  height 
in  the  air.  The  succeeding  day,  owing  to  the  eclipsing 
light  of  the  sun,  it  again  assumed  a  non-volcanic  aspect. 
But  at  night  the  eruptions  were  seen  to  occur  every  five 
or  eight  minutes.  It  was  the  following  night  that  with  a 
party  of  the  officers  of  the  ship  I  ascended  the  mount. 
At  Resina,  near  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  we  were  pro- 
vided by  Salvatore  Madonna,  the  principal  cicerone  for 
this  excursion,  with  the  necessary  equipments,  guides, 
horses  or  jacks,  and  torches ;  and  in  suits  of  clothes  for 
the  occasion.  About  an  hour  after  sunset  we  commenced 
the  ascent. 

'  We  had  selected  the  night  for  the  excursion,  because 
at  that  time  the  lava  can  exhibit  more  clearly  its  own 
light,  and  also  to  view  the  rising  sun,  a  splendid  sight,  as 
we  had  been  informed,  heightened  as  it  is  by  the  beauti- 
ful surrounding  scenery.  With  but  the  light  of  our 
torches  I  could  not  of  course  examine  the  nature  of  the 
soil  over  which  we  were  passing.  When  descending  in 
the  morning,  I  observed  that  our  road  ran  along  a  strip 
of  land,  elevated  above  the  general  level  of  the  side  hill, 
and  therefore  inaccessible  to  the  lava  coming  in  this 
direction,  which  would  naturally  take  its  course  in  the 
valley  to  one  side  of  it.  This  elevated  land,  named 
Monte  Canteroni,  may  be  considered  as  connecting  Som- 
ma  with  the  cone  of  Vesuvius.  It  is  intersected  by  three 
valleys,  the  most  northerly  of  which,  Vallone  della  Vet- 
rana,  received  the  current  of  lava  of  1785.  For  a  consider- 
able distance  there  were  cultivated  fields  and  vineyards 
on  either  side  of  our  road.  Part  of  the  way  it  was  cut 
through  a  bank  of  pebbles  and  sand.  A  ride  of  five  miles 
brought  us  to  the  Hermitage,  situated  on  the  top  of 
Monte  Canteroni,  a  usual  place  of  recruit  for  travellers, 
indeed  a  half-way  house.  Not  wishing  to  ascend  imme- 
diately, we  rested  here  for  three  hours.  At  2  A.M.  we 
again  mounted  our  horses,  and  in  half  an  hour  reached 
the  foot  of  the  cone. 

"  Since  leaving  the  Hermitage  vegetation  grew  more 
and  more  scanty  as  we  proceeded,  and  then  we  found  but 

24  369 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

a  barren  waste  of  lava,  which  continues  up  the  cone,  there, 
however,  composed  also  of  loose  cinders  and  volcanic 
ashes.  This  lava  is  the  current  of  1822.  It  was  a  tedious 
walk,  both  because  of  the  steepness  of  the  acclivity  and 
of  the  yielding  nature  of  the  material  over  which  we 
travelled.  In  three  quarters  of  an  hour  we  were  relieved 
by  arriving  on  a  plain,  the  principal  summit  of  the  moun- 
tain, near  the  centre  of  which  was  situated  a  small  cone, 
the  present  aperture  for  the  smoke  and  ejected  stones  and 
lava.  This  plain  is  the  old  crater,  which  but  four  years 
since  was  reached  by  a  descent  of  upwards  of  two  thou- 
sand feet,  the  bottom  of  an  '  immense  and  frightful  gulf.' 
In  1829,  a  person,  when  he  had  reached  the  summit, 
stood  upon  a  narrow  ridge  and  could  but  look  down  to 
this  seat  of  volcanic  fires.  In  1830,  the  descent  was  more 
easy,  but  it  continued  nearly  the  same  till  the  summer 
of  1832,  when  it  assumed  very  nearly  the  form  and  ap- 
pearance that  it  now  has.  There  was  at  that  time  a  fall- 
ing in  of  the  wall  of  the  crater,  and  also,  judging  from 
appearances,  I  should  say  that  the  lava  as  it  boiled  up 
had  cooled  and  thus  closed  all  the  view  to  the  burning 
furnace.  I  have  heard  it  said  that  the  change  in  its  ap- 
pearance is  so  great  that  it  can  hardly  be  recognized  as 
the  same  mountain.  At  the  eruption  of  1832  a  stream 
of  lava  descended  the  mountain  towards  Portici.  In  the 
description  of  every  eruption  that  I  have  read  there  is 
noticed  some  change  in  the  form  of  the  crater.  In  1822 
the  walls  of  it  were  so  much  broken  off  as  to  lessen  the 
height  of  the  mountain  one  hundred  feet;  and  thus  it 
appears  that,  by  an  examination  of  its  present  state,  there 
can  be  obtained  scarcely  any  idea  of  the  volcano  as  it 
was  thirty  or  forty  years  since.  The  present  circumfer- 
ence of  this  plain  is  nearly  four  miles,  more  than  twice 
that  of  the  mouth  of  the  crater  in  1830.  Part  of  the  old 
walls  exist  on  the  northeast  side,  and  there  only. 

As  I  walked  over  the  plain,  rather  a  rough  one,  I 
noticed  in  the  numerous  fissures  in  the  lava,  on  this  the 
western  side,  that  the  rocks  were  heated  to  redness, 
within  two  or  three  feet  of  the  surface ;  and  from  many 
places  the  sulphurous  vapors  issued  freely.  These  fissures 
were  too  shallow  to  allow  any  far  insight  into  the  interior 
of  the  mountain.  The  volcano  at  the  time  was  in  con- 
siderable action.  The  smoke,  mostly  sulphurous  acid, 

370 


ASCENT   OF   VESUVIUS,    1834 

issued  in  a  dense  cloud  from  the  small  crater,  and  was 
carried  by  a  strong  wind  from  the  northeast  across  the 
path  we  were  about  to  take.  After  one  or  two  fruitless 
attempts,  the  danger  of  suffocation  driving  us  back,  at 
last,  with  our  handkerchiefs  to  our  faces,  we  gained  the 
windward  side  of  the  cone.  It  was  south  of  east  of  this 
small  cone  (I  so  call  it  to  distinguish  it  from  the  old  and 
larger  one),  about  twenty  rods  from  it,  that  the  grandest 
sight  was  presented  us. 

"  During  the  preceding  few  moments  we  had  moved 
along  with  rather  a  hastened  step,  on  account  of  the  heat 
of  the  lava  under  our  feet ;  for  a  red  heat  was  frequently 
seen  in  many  places  within  ten  or  twelve  inches  of  the 
surface,  and  the  rocks  were  yellow  with  an  incrustation 
of  sulphur.  We  were  soon  on  the  borders  of  what  was 
apparently  a  fountain  of  melted  lava,  which,  making  its 
way  from  under  the  solid  lava  at  the  slow  rate  of  a  mile 
an  hour,  ran  down  the  back  side  of  the  mountain  towards 
Pompeii,  not  proceeding  far  enough,  however,  to  injure 
an  uninjured  country.  It  resembled  much  a  stream  of 
fused  iron.  Its  width  was  from  four  to  five  feet.  From 
the  form  of  the  surface  of  the  surrounding  lava,  I  con- 
cluded that  not  long  since  its  place  of  exit  was  higher 
up,  and  that  by  the  solidification  of  its  surface  the  change 
had  been  produced  in  the  situation  of  its  source,  a  pro- 
cess which  now  appears  to  be  going  on.  We  approached 
it  within  four  feet.  I  cannot  say  that  I  felt  disposed  to 
try  the  experiment  which  Dolomieu  states  to  be  safe,  that 
is,  to  walk  on  it, — the  heat  of  the  surface,  as  he  says,  not 
being  sufficient  to  burn.  It  is  certain  that  the  reflected 
heat  was  sufficient  to  induce  me  to  preserve  the  distance 
above  mentioned.  With  one  of  our  rough  canes  we  took 
some  of  the  red-hot  viscid  fluid  from  the  stream,  and  into 
it  pressed  some  coins.  I  have  one  specimen  impressed 
on  one  side  with  the  name  of  our  cicerone,  Salvatore 
Madonna;  on  the  other,  the  time  as  regards  the  year 
when  instamped.  The  lava  cools  rapidly,  hardening  into 
a  black  scoriaceous,  vesicular  mass,  without  the  usual 
crystals  of  leucite,  hornblende,  or  pyroxene.  May  not 
this  absence  of  crystals  be  owing  to  the  fact  that  they 
were  taken  from  the  surface,  where  these  minerals,  not 
under  pressure,  are  decomposed  by  the  heat  ?  The  same 
is  the  nature  of  the  solidified  lava  which  covers  this  part 

371 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

of  the  old  crater.  This  stream  is  the  only  present  outlet 
for  the  lava  of  the  volcano.  The  crater  is  not  in  suffi- 
cient action  to  force  it  over  its  sides. 

"  There  yet  remained  to  be  seen  the  interior  of  this 
crater.  Our  guides  spoke  to  us  of  the  danger,  and,  per- 
haps more  from  disliking  the  trouble  of  ascending  than 
from  fear,  at  first  refused  to  ascend  with  us.  It  was  not 
usual  to  climb  it  on  this  the  eastern  side ;  but  there  was 
no  alternative,  for  the  opposite  side,  where  was  the 
beaten  track,  was  rendered  impassable  by  the  thick 
volumes  of  suffocating  smoke.  They  at  last  consented, 
as  we  had  determined  on  going.  Its  elevation  is  about 
250  feet,  the  whole  of  which  has  been  formed  within  the 
past  five  years;  in  1830  there  was  but  a  small  mound. 
Its  elevation  is  owing  to  the  cinders  and  small  pieces  of 
lava,  with  perhaps  occasionally  a  current,  which  are 
thrown  out  and  fall  down  its  sides.  Its  sides  incline  at 
an  angle  of  forty  degrees,  as  great  an  inclination,  con- 
sidering the  manner  in  which  they  are  formed,  as  they 
could  have.  When  making  the  ascent  I  perceived,  very 
sensibly,  a  tremulous  motion,  and  when  on  the  summit, 
I  observed  that  this  trembling  took  place  at  each  of  its 
slight  eruptions.  There  were  no  subterranean  sounds. 
The  eruptions  were  of  heated  cinders,  melted  lava,  and 
sulphur,  which  were  darted  into  the  air  to  the  height  of 
twenty  or  thirty  feet,  every  four  or  five  minutes.  The 
greater  portion  of  them  fell  back  into  the  crater.  I 
noticed  that  some  small  pieces  of  lava,  which  had  fallen 
to  one  side,  were  cooled  by  the  time  they  had  reached 
the  ridge  of  the  cone.  After  all  we  were  prevented  from 
viewing  the  internal  operations  by  the  thick  smoke  con- 
tinually issuing  from  the  part  of  the  crater  directly 
beneath  us,  and  obscuring  the  whole  of  the  interior. 
Occasionally  it  was  partially  cleared  away  by  the  wind, 
and  then  we  perceived  some  unheated  rocks,  within 
twenty  feet  of  the  top,  on  the  side  opposite  us.  The  diam- 
eter of  the  nearly  circular  opening  was  not  more  than  one 
hundred  feet.  The  ridge  forming  the  circumference 
was  besprinkled  with  sulphur,  which  had  been  thrown 
out  in  a  fused  state.  The  specimens  were  very  delicate 
and  beautiful ;  unfortunately  too  much  so  to  be  handled. 
'  We  were  on  the  point  of  descending,  when  an  erup- 
tion, somewhat  greater  than  what  we  had  before  seen, 

372 


ASCENT   OF   VESUVIUS,    1834 

took  place,  and  a  shower  of  lava  fell  on  all  sides  of  us, 
causing  us  to  hurry,  and  soon  we  were  again  upon  the 
heated  though  solid  lava  of  the  plain,  or  old  crater.  On 
our  return  we  went  around  to  the  north,  thus  making  the 
circuit  of  the  cone.  In  this  direction  there  were  numer- 
ous fissures,  freely  emitting  smoke  and  showing  a  red 
heat  to  the  surface.  The  walls  of  the  old  crater,  which 
here  remain,  are  a  perpendicular  bank  of  rock,  exhibiting 
the  edges  of  alternating  layers  of  compact  lava,  and  loose 
scoria  with  disintegrated  lava.  The  compact  contains 
numerous  small  imperfect  crystals  of  leucite  and  horn- 
blende. 

'  The  time  before  us  would  not  permit  me  to  make 
many  examinations  with  regard  to  the  volcanic  minerals 
here  to  be  obtained.  The  following  I  purchased  of  our 
cicerone,  who  collects  and  keeps  for  sale  Vesuvian  speci- 
mens. He  pointed  out  to  me  a  large  box  that  he  had 
just  closed  for  Professor  Buckland  of  England.  Some  of 
the  specimens  had  passed  through  the  fires  without  the 
least  change.  Their  well-known  names  will  distinguish 
them  among  the  following:  granite;  mica,  one  specimen 
and  an  aggregation  of  black  scales,  another  of  a  brownish- 
yellow  color;  crystallized  calcareous  spar  or  limestone; 
idocrase  in  a  micaceous  gangue ;  spinelle  with  the  green 
mica;  sommite;  Iceland  spar  in  tabular  crystals;  dolo- 
mite ;  calcareous  mesotype  in  irregular  spheroidal  masses 
cemented  together  by  carbonate  of  lime;  stilbite  in  the 
cavities  of  the  lava ;  leucite  in  crystals,  with  twenty-four 
trapezohedral  faces,  from  one-eighth  to  three-quarters  of 
an  inch  in  diameter;  muriate  of  copper  incrusting  a  speci- 
men of  lava;  specular  iron,  in  flat  lenticular  crystals 
covering  lava;  a  compound  of  chloride  of  sodium  and 
muriate  of  ammonia  similarly  situated ;  and  a  specimen 
of  recent  calcareous  conglomerate,  containing  petrifac- 
tions, among  which  there  is  a  species  of  the  genus pect 'en, 
also  of  cardium  and  of  what  appears  to  be  z.donax ;  and, 
in  addition,  some  small  turreted  univalves.  I  have  other 
minerals,  but  their  names  I  cannot  state  with  certainty. 
The  labels  of  many  that  I  purchased  were  evidently  wrong. 

"  We  descended  the  cone  at  a  rapid  rate,  along  a  steep 
declivity  of  loose  cinders  and  volcanic  sand.  Not  till  the 
fifth  of  June  was  there  any  change  of  consequence  in  the 
state  of  the  volcano.  On  this  day  (Friday)  a  slight 

373 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

earthquake  was  perceived  near  Pompeii.  There  was  a  con- 
siderable swell  on  the  sea  during  the  day,  which,  as  there 
had  been  calm  weather  for  several  days,  I  had  imputed, 
without  a  knowledge  of  the  earthquake,  to  a  distant  gale. 
Possibly  the  earthquake  was  the  cause.  At  night,  the 
bursts  of  incandescent  matter  from  the  crater  were  far 
more  brilliant  and  extensive  than  on  former  nights.  At 
many  of  these  expirations  (if  I  may  use  the  term :  it 
seems  to  convey  best  the  idea  of  these  slight  eruptions, 
which  are  not  unlike  the  spouting  of  some  huge  leviathan 
in  a  fiery  liquid),  small  streams  of  lava  ran  down  the 
northern  side  of  the  small  cone.  On  Saturday,  smoke 
was  continually  rolling  from  the  crater  to  the  north. 
In  the  evening  I  observed  that  a  new  source  of  light 
had  arisen  to  the  north  of  the  small  cone,  and  towards 
the  southeast  a  line  of  light  extended  partly  down  the 
mountain  towards  Pompeii,  arising  probably  from  the 
same  stream  of  liquid  lava  which  I  saw  when  there,  now 
enlarged.  The  crater  itself  was  by  far  less  active  than 
usual.  During  Sunday,  Vesuvius  was  in  quite  a  dull 
state.  At  night  but  little  light  was  to  be  seen,  and  the 
fiery  expirations  were  not  frequent.  As  we  were  leaving 
the  harbor  on  Monday  (June  8th),  a  blacker  and  more 
abundant  smoke  issued  from  the  crater,  and  at  night  the 
stream  to  the  southeast  shone  with  increased  brilliancy. 
The  next  morning  Vesuvius  was  far  below  the  horizon. 

"  It  would  have  been  a  source  of  no  little  gratification, 
could  I  have  witnessed  Vesuvius  exhibiting  her  immense 
fireworks  on  her  grandest  scale.  However,  the  slight  ex- 
hibitions of  the  past  few  days  were,  as  seemed  to  me,  full 
of  grandeur;  and  they  made  a  faint  impression  of  the 
power  that  now  is  nearly  dormant.  Yet  they  passed  off 
entirely  unnoticed  by  the  mass  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
country.  It  is  astonishing  with  what  an  absence  of  fear 
they  rebuild  their  destroyed  cities,  whence  just  before  they 
ran  for  their  lives,  driven  by  these  tremendous  torrents  of 
fire.  Thus  Torre  del  Greco,  although  mostly  buried  by 
the  fiery  torrent  of  1794,  has  again  risen  from  its  ruins, 
and  now  contains  15,000  inhabitants.  The  foot  of  the 
mountain  is  crowded  with  towns,  and  it  would  be  diffi- 
cult for  a  current  now  to  reach  the  sea,  its  usual  course, 
without  destroying  some  buildings. 

'  While  contemplating  Vesuvius,  it  is  natural  to  dwell 

374 


ASCENT   OF  VESUVIUS,    1834 

upon  the  volcano,  its  nature,  its  depth,  and  extent,  and 
to  inquire  whether  it  is  not  connected  with  Stromboli 
and  Etna,  and  whether  this  grand  bed  of  fire  does  not 
extend  throughout  Italy,  which  everywhere  bears  evi- 
dences of  former  volcanoes  and  present  subterranean  fires? 
However  this  may  be,  it  appears  that  it  may  be  said  with 
considerable  confidence  that  at  least  fifteen  or  twenty 
miles  on  each  side  will  not  more  than  include  this  burn- 
ing furnace.  Twelve  miles  from  Vesuvius,  beyond 
Naples,  are  the  vapor  baths  of  San  Germano.  An  old 
stone  building  covers  a  spot  of  earth  whence  issues  this 
heated  vapor.  There  is  but  a  slight  smell  of  sulphur,  but 
the  heat  throws  one  immediately  into  a  profuse  perspira- 
tion. The  walls  inside  are  covered  with  an  incrustation 
of  alum  of  from  one-half  to  two  inches  thick.  Here, 
then,  is  sufficient  evidence  of  subterranean  fires.  A  short 
distance  from  these  baths  is  the  Grotto  del  Cane,  a  small, 
partly  artificial  cave,  but  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  deep,  and 
six  high,  in  the  side  of  a  hill  of  tufa.  It  is  noted  for  the 
carbonic  acid  it  contains.  The  smoke  of  a  taper  settling 
upon  it  ran  out  of  the  entrance  like  a  liquid,  thus  showing 
that  there  is  an  incessant  fountain  of  the  gas.  I  stepped 
in,  and  besides  an  increase  of  pressure,  perceived  an  in- 
crease of  heat.  This  heat  and  the  continual  reproduction 
of  gas  seem  sufficient  to  prove  its  igneous  origin.  This 
cave  and  the  baths  are  situated  on  the  borders  of  a  small 
lake  (Lago  d'Agnano),  which,  from  its  circular  form, 
great  depth  (five  hundred  feet),  and  the  volcanic  nature 
of  the  surrounding  country,  is  supposed  to  be  an  ancient 
crater.  A  mile  from  the  lake  is  the  famous  Solfatara, 
not  long  since  an  active  volcano,  now  abounding  in  sul- 
phur, alum,  and  other  volcanic  productions.  Near  by  is 
a  rivulet  of  boiling  water.  Not  far  distant  is  the  crater 
of  another  extinct  volcano  (Astroni),  four  miles  in  cir- 
cumference; and  just  north  of  the  bay  of  Baia  there  is 
another  hot  spring.  Nine  miles  west  of  Naples  is  the 
island  of  Procida,  with  a  volcanic  soil;  and  fifteen  miles 
distant  is  Ischia,  whose  extinct  volcano,  currents  of  lava, 
once  the  destruction  of  its  town,  and  hot  springs,  are 
sufficient  to  prove  its  volcanic  origin.  South  of  these, 
the  plain  of  Sorrento  bears  evidences  of  a  former  volcano. 
Thus  Vesuvius  is  nearly  surrounded  with  volcanoes  now 
apparently  extinct ;  but  whose  fires,  as  is  proved  by  the 

375 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT    DANA 

hot  springs  and  vapor  baths,  yet  burn.  A  mountain, 
which  has  ejected  such  immense  quantities  of  lava  as 
has  Vesuvius,  must  necessarily  have  a  great  extent  of 
volcanic  fires.  If,  as  says  Braccini,  and  from  experiment, 
the  descent  to  the  internal  plain,  in  1631,  was  by  a  rapid 
declivity  of  three  miles,  and  consequently  its  situation 
was  far  below  the  level  of  the  sea,  what  limits  ought  to 
be  assigned  to  the  fires  which  then,  as  they  were  latent, 
must  have  been  far  below  the  plain  he  reached  ?  It  will 
not,  therefore,  require  much  credulity  to  believe  a  radius 
of  six  or  eight  miles  necessary  to  include  the  fires 
of  Vesuvius,  even  supposing  that  there  are  no  others  in 
the  neighborhood.  But  others  do  exist;  and  judging  of 
their  probable  limits  by  the  size  of  the  old  crater,  is  there 
not  reason  to  believe  that  they  also  extend  six  or  eight 
miles  and  thus  meet  those  of  Vesuvius  ?  or  rather,  that 
there  is  but  one  source,  one  great  furnace  of  which  Vesu- 
vius is  the  present  spiracle  ?  Whether  such  is  the  case  or 
not  I  would  submit  to  your  superior  judgment. 

'  We  passed  Stromboli  Tuesday  evening,  June  i6th,  a 
more  extensive  mountain  than  Vesuvius;  its  red  fiery 
expirations  had  more  breadth  and  extended  to  a  greater 
height,  but  they  were  less  frequent  than  those  of  that 
volcano,  happening  not  oftener  than  once  in  fifteen  or 
twenty  minutes.  The  next  day  Etna  was  in  sight ;  but 
she  gave  us  not  the  least  evidence  of  her  volcanic  charac- 
ter, except  in  her  external  appearance. 

"  I  hardly  know  what  apology  to  make  for  writing  an 
epistle  so  long  and  perhaps  tedious.  But  I  hope  that  the 
interest  I  supposed  might  properly  be  taken  in  the  sub- 
ject, and  my  own  interest  in  it,  will  make  further  apology 
unnecessary." 


3/6 


APPENDIX 


The  following  spirited  poem  was  written  by  Dr.  Palmer,  one  of  the 
surgeons  of  the  U.  S.  Exploring  Expedition,  after  the  adventurous  cruise 
of  the  Peacock  near  Cape  Horn  in  1839. 

The  author  thus  wrote  to  Dana  : 

"  FORT  GEORGE,  August  21,  1841. 

"  The  verses  were  all  ready,  according  to  your  reiterated  desire  ;  and  I 
only  waited  an  opportunity  to  send  them.  I  deeply  feel  your  sympathy  in 
the  subject  of  some  of  them  :  and  it  touches  me  too  much,  to  say  more 
about  the  matter  just  now  if  I  would  finish  my  letter.  If  ever  I  write  any 
more,  they  shall  be  sure  to  seek  you,  for  an  indulgent  reader. 

"  You  had  to  thank  somebody,  for  convincing  you  of  the  possession  of  a 
musical  genius,  which  your  modesty  would  have  long  concealed  from  your- 
self :  I  therefore  freely  accept  the  expressions  of  your  gratitude  ;  and  I  am 
satisfied  that  the  world  will  have  more  cause  to  be  grateful  to  me,  than  even 
you  had.  I  do  not  feel  in  the  least  annoyed  that  I  even  occupied  your 
attention  with  such  a  matter :  it  deserves  more  attention  than  even  you 
gave  it." 

THULIA 
BY  DR.  J.  C.  PALMER,  SURGEON,  U.  S.  N. 

I 

Deep  in  a  far  and  lonely  bay, 

Begirt  by  desert  cliffs  of  snow, 
A  little  bark  at  anchor  lay, 

In  southern  twilight's  fiery  glow  ; 

Too  frail  a  shell — too  lightly  borne 

Upon  the  bubble  of  a  wave, 
To  face  the  terrors  of  Cape  Horn, 

Or  stern  Antarctic  seas  to  brave. 

377 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

In  other  days,  she  loved  to  glide 

O'er  Hudson's  bosom  bright  and  still ; 

And  float  along  the  tranquil  tide, 
By  craggy  steep  and  sloping  hill. 

Now,  like  a  land-bird,  blown  away 

By  tempests  from  its  happy  nest, 
She  flies  before  the  whirling  spray, 

To  seek  this  dreary  place  of  rest. 

The  night-air  through  her  cordage  sings  : 
Her  sides  the  drowsy  waters  lave, 

As,  like  a  gull  with  folded  wings, 
She  lightly  sits  upon  the  wave, 

While  overhead,  a  holy  sign, 

The  southern  cross,  is  in  the  sky, — 

Assurance  that  an  eye  divine 
Watches  the  exile  from  on  high. 


II 


The  braying  penguin  sounds  his  horn, 
And  flights  of  cormorants  are  screaming 

Their  croaking  welcome  to  the  morn, 
Athwart  the  frozen  mountains  gleaming. 

Fleet  as  the  tern  that  wakeful  springs 
From  stunted  beech  or  blighted  willow, 

Our  little  Thulia  spreads  her  wings, 
And  off  she  skims  across  the  billow. 

A  fairer  morning,  o'er  the  face 
Of  wintry  region,  never  smiled  ; 

And,  mid  the  ripples  at  its  base, 
The  stormy  Cape  itself  looks  mild. 

With  hopes  elate,  and  hearts  that  spurn 
All  thought  of  fearing  wind  or  waves, 

The  eager  rovers  southward  turn, 
To  seek  new  space  for  human  graves. 

Ah  !  had  the  primal  sin,  that  bore 

The  doom  of  death,  but  made  us  wise, 

Not  now  for  luxury  or  lore 

Would  man  give  up  his  Paradise  ; 

378 


DR.    PALMER'S   ODE 

Or  quit  the  haunts  he  ranged  of  old, 
The  land  of  love  that  gave  him  birth, 

For  thirst  of  glory  or  of  gold, 

To  wander  up  and  down  the  earth. 

But  youth  and  manhood  thus  we  pass, 
Deluded  by  the  wish  to  roam  ; 

And  find  with  age — too  late,  alas  !  — 
That  all  our  joys  were  left  at  home. 

Ill 

The  wind  is  up  :  the  storm  once  more 
Asserts  dominion  o'er  the  main  ; 

And  onward  leads,  with  thundering  roar, 
His  mingled  hosts  of  hail  and  rain. 

O'er  mounds  of  vapor  darkly  rolled, 
Huge  castled  clouds  are  towering  high, 

Confronting  with  the  billows  bold, 
That  dash  defiance  to  the  sky. 

Deep  in  the  hollow  of  a  wave, 
The  sea-bird  swoops  to  find  a  lee  ; 

But  where  the  maddened  waters  rave, 
What  refuge,  puny  bark,  for  thee  ? 

Now  by  the  surges  upward  whirled, 
She  totters  on  their  crests  of  snow  : 

Anon,  precipitately  hurled, 

Down  topples  to  the  gulf  below. 

The  leaden  skies  above  her  frown, 

Through  frozen  drifts  of  cutting  sleet ; 

And  combing  billows  tumbling  down, 
Infold  her  like  a  winding-sheet. 

The  dove  that  wandered  from  the  ark, 
To  seek  her  long-deserted  nest, 

Had  vainly  hovered  round  this  bark 
For  one  dry  spot  her  wing  to  rest. 

The  very  creatures  of  the  brine 

Appear  to  know  her  hapless  plight : 

And  snorting  herds  of  fishy  swine 

Come  plunging  round  to  mock  her  flight 

379 


LIFE    OF   JAMES    DWIGHT    DANA 

While,  from  the  vortex  in  her  wake, 

High  spouts  the  whale  his  flood  of  spray, 

Lashing  the  waters  till  they  quake 
Beneath  his  flooks'  tremendous  play. 

Serenely  sweeps  that  stately  bird 

Whose  wing,  more  fair  than  polar  snows, 

In  all  his  flight  is  never  stirred 
Out  of  its  tranquil,  proud  repose. 

And  with  the  roving  albatross, 

The  sheath-bill  flickers  round  and  round  ; 
And  petrels  hop  the  foam  across 

Where  lightest  janthine  might  be  drowned. 

With  oval  disk  and  feeble  blaze, 
Now  shrinks  away  the  pallid  sun  ; 

And  Night  comes  groping  through  the  haze, 
Like  guilty  ghost  in  cerements  dun. 

The  dank,  cold  fog,  slow-settling  down, 
Hangs  o'er  the  waste  a  murky  pall ; 

And  round  the  narrow,  misty  zone 
The  seas  heave  up  a  wavy  wall. 

The  storm  outspent  has  ceased  to  howl ; 

The  winds  have  moaned  themselves  to  sleep  ; 
And  Darkness  broods  with  sullen  scowl 

Over  the  stranger  and  the  deep. 

IV 

No  sparrow  greets  the  clear  cold  morn — 
No  swain  comes  forth  with  carol  gay  ; 

But  wild  the  sea-bird's  scream  is  borne, 
And  thus  the  sailor  chants  his  lay  : 


ANTARCTIC  MARINER'S  SONG 
i 

"  Sweetly,  from  the  land  of  roses, 

Sighing  comes  the  northern  breeze  ; 
And  the  smile  of  dawn  reposes, 
All  in  blushes,  on  the  seas. 

380 


DR.   PALMER'S    ODE 

Now  within  the  sleeping  sail, 
Murmurs  soft  the  gentle  gale. 
Ease  the  sheet,  and  keep  away  : 
Glory  guides  us  south  to-day. 

2 

"  Yonder,  see  !  the  icy  portal 

Opens  for  us  to  the  Pole  ; 
And,  where  never  entered  mortal, 

Thither  speed  we  to  the  goal. 
Hopes  before,  and  doubts  behind, 
On  we  fly  before  the  wind. 
Steady,  so — now  let  it  blow  ! 
Glory  guides,  and  south  we  go. 

3 

"  Vainly  do  these  gloomy  borders 
All  their  frightful  forms  oppose  ; 

Vainly  frown  these  frozen  warders, 
Mailed  in  sleet  and  helmed  in  snows. 

Though,  beneath  the  ghastly  skies, 

Curdled  all  the  ocean  lies, 

Lash  we  up  its  foam  anew — 

Dash  we  all  its  terrors  through  ! 


"  Circled  by  these  columns  hoary, 
All  the  field  of  fame  is  ours  ; 

Here  to  carve  a  name  in  story, 
Or  a  tomb  beneath  these  towers. 

Southward  still  our  way  we  trace, 

Winding  through  an  icy  maze. 

Luff  her  to— there  she  goes  through  ! 

Glory  leads,  and  we  pursue." 

Undaunted,  though,  despite  their  mirth, 
Still  by  a  certain  awe  subdued, 

They  reach  the  last  retreat  on  earth, 
Where  Nature  hoped  for  solitude. 

Between  two  icebergs  gaunt  and  pale, 
Like  giant  sentinels  on  post, 

Without  a  welcome  or  a  hail, 

Intrude  they  on  the  realm  of  Frost. 

381 


LIFE   OF   JAMES    DWIGHT   DANA 

In  desolation  vast  and  wild, 

Outstretched  a  mighty  ruin  lies  : 
Huge  towers  on  massy  ramparts  piled, 

High  domes  whose  azure  pales  the  skies. 

And  surges  wash  with  sullen  swash 
The  crystal  court  and  sapphire  hall ; 

Through  arches  rush  with  furious  gush, 
And  slowly  sap  the  solid  wall. 

Cold,  cold  as  death — the  sky  so  bleak 
That  even  daylight  seems  to  shiver  ; 

And,  starting  back  from  icy  peak, 

The  blinking  sunbeams  quail  and  quiver. 

They  smile,  those  lonely,  patient  men, 

Though  gladness  mocks  that  scene  so  drear ; 

They  speak — yet  words  are  spent  in  vain 
Which  seem  to  freeze  upon  the  ear : 

And  when  at  eve,  with  downy  flake, 
The  snow-storm  drops  its  veil  around, 

The  weary  sleep,  the  watchful  wake  ; 
But  both  alike  in  dreams  are  bound. 


Benighted  in  the  fleecy  shower, 

Wee  Thulia  slowly  southward  creeps  ; 

Now  overhung  by  tottering  tower — 
Now  all  becalmed  'neath  jutting  steeps. 

Dim  through  the  gloom,  pale  masses  loom, 
Like  tombs  in  some  vast  burial-ground  : 

Here  stalking  slow,  in  shroud  of  snow, 
Ghostlike  the  night-watch  tramps  his  round. 

Gray  twilight  glimmers  forth  at  last — 

The  drapery  of  snow  is  furled  ; 
And  isles  of  ice  slow-filing  past, 

Reveal  the  confines  of  the  world. 

Day  marches  up  yon  wide  expanse, 

Like  herald  of  eternal  dawn  ; 
But  shifting  icebergs  now  advance, 

And  shut  him  out  with  shadows  wan. 

382 


DR.    PALMER'S   ODE 

Mountains  on  hoary  mountains  high, 
O'ertop  the  sea-bird's  loftiest  flight : 

All  bleak  the  air — all  bleached  the  sky — 
The  pent-up,  stiffen'd  sea  all  white. 

Here  Thulia  lies,  a  bank  of  snow, 
Each  sail  hung  round  with  gelid  frill  ; 

Festooned  with  frost  her  graceful  prow, 
And  every  rope  an  icicle. 

Amid  the  fearful  stillness  round, 

Scarce  broken  by  the  wind's  faint  breezing, 
Hist !  heard  ye  not  that  crackling  sound  ? 

That  death-watch  click — the  sea  is  freezing. 

They  breathe  not — speak  not — murmur  not ; 

But  in  each  other's  face  they  gaze, 
While  memory,  fancy,  tender  thought, 

Turn  sadly  back  to  other  days. 

Long  years  roll  by  in  that  wild  dream — 
Long  years  of  mingled  joy  and  pain  ; 

But  like  a  meteor's  erring  gleam 

'T  is  gone — there  stands  the  ice  again. 

The  ice,  the  piles  of  ice,  arrayed 
In  forms  of  awful  grandeur  still  ; 

But  all  their  terrors — how  they  fade 
Before  proud  man's  sublimer  will ! 

Uprise,  all  life,  that  gallant  crew — 

Prompt  action  echoing  brief  command  : 

Each  puny  arm  now  nerved  anew, 

With  strength  from  His  almighty  hand. 

With  straining  oars  and  bending  spars 
They  dash  their  icy  chains  asunder  : 

Force  frozen  doors — burst  crystal  bars — 
And  drive  the  sparkling  fragments  under. 

In  fitful  gusts  the  rising  winds 

Wake  the  still  waste  with  hollow  moan  ; 
While  icebergs,  like  beleaguering  fiends, 

Close  up  before  and  follow  on. 

383 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

The  whooping  gale  swells  out  the  sail, 
And  gives  fresh  force  for  harder  blows : 

At  every  blast  a  danger  's  past, 
And  Thulia  flies  to  meet  new  foes. 

Now  to  the  charge  she  drives  amain, 
Her  fragile  bows  uprearing  high  : 

Recoils,  and  rushes  on  again, 

Till  mingled  ice  and  splinters  fly. 

Careering — reeling — on  her  side 

She  lies,  with  burnished  keel  all  bare  : 

Now  rights  again  with  sudden  slide, 
Dashing  the  waters  high  in  air. 

Still  jarring  on,  each  writhing  mast, 

And  shroud,  and  stay,  is  well-nigh  riven  ; 

The  wild,  white  canvas  strains  its  fast  ; 
And  timbers  from  their  bolts  are  driven. 

On,  little  bark  !     On,  yet  awhile  ! 

Across  the  frozen  desert  flee  ; 
For  yonder,  with  its  welcome  smile, 

Now  sparkles  bright  thine  own  blue  sea. 

The  baffled  monsters  fall  behind, 

Nor  longer  urge  pursuit  so  vain  : 
One  moment  more,  and  rest  we  find — 

'T  is  past — she  's  safe,  she 's  safe  again  ! 

With  drooping  peak  now  lying-to, 

Where  sea-fowl  brood  she  checks  her  motion, 
Like  them  to  plume  herself  anew, 

In  the  bright  mirror  of  the  ocean. 

All  signs  of  strife  soon  wiped  away, 

They  northward  turn — God  speed  them  on  ! 

To  climes  beneath  whose  genial  ray 
Repose  is  sweet  when  toil  is  done. 


384 


II 

BIBLIOGRAPHY  * 

1835  On  the  condition  of  Vesuvius  in  July,  1834.     Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  (i), 

vol.  27,  pp.  281-288. 

A  new  system  of  Crystallographic  symbols.  Ibid.,  vol.  28,  pp.  250- 
262. 

1836  A  new  mineral ogical  nomenclature.     Amer.  Lye.  Nat.  Hist.  N.   Y., 

vol.  4,  pp.  9-34. 
On  the  formation  of  Compound  or  Twin  Crystals.    Amer.  Jour.  Sci., 

(i),  vol.  30,  pp.  275-300. 
Two  American  species  of  the  genus  Hydrachna.     Ibid.,  pp.  354- 

359- 

1837  A  SYSTEM  OF  MINERALOGY  :  including  an  extended  treatise  of  Crys- 

tallography ;  with  an  Appendix,  containing  the  application  of 
Mathematics  to  crystallographic  investigation,  and  a  mineralogical 
bibliography.  New  Haven,  large  8°,  xiv  -f-  580  pp. 

Description  of  the  Argulus  Catostomi.  Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  vol.  31, 
pp.  297-308. 

On  the  identity  of  the  Torrelite  of  Thomson  with  Columbite.  Ibid., 
vol.  32,  pp.  149-153. 

On  the  drawing  of  figures  of  Crystals.     Ibid.,  vol.  33,  pp.  32-50. 

Crystallographic  examination  of  Eremite.     Ibid.,  pp.  70-75. 

1838  Description  of  a  Crustaceous  animal  belonging  to  the  genus  Caligus. 

Ibid.,  vol.  34,  pp.  225-266. 

1843  The  analogies  between  the  modern  igneous  Rocks  and  the  so-called 

Primary  formations.     Ibid.,  vol.  45,  pp.  104-129. 
On  the  temperature  limiting  the  distribution  of  Corals.     Ibid.,  pp. 

130-131- 

The  areas  of  subsidence  in  the  Pacific,  as  indicated  by  the  distribu- 
tion of  Coral  Islands.  Ibid.,  pp.  131-135. 

1844  A  SYSTEM  OF  MINERALOGY.     2d  edition,  640  pp.,  8°.     New  York 

and  London. 

The  composition  of  Corals.  Amer.  Jour.  Sd.,  vol.  47,  pp.  135- 
136. 

*  Reprinted  with  slight  changes  and  additions  from  Bibliographies  of 
the  Present  Officers  of  Yale  University,  New  Haven,  1893. 

25  385 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

1845  Observations  on  Pseudomorphism.     Ibid.,  vol.  48,  pp.  81-92. 

Origin  of  the  constituent  and  adventitious  minerals  of  Trap  and  the 
allied  rocks.     Ibid.,  vol.  49,  pp.  49-64. 

1846  ZOOPHYTES.     [U.  S.  Exploring  Expedition  under  C.  Wilkes,  U.  S. 

N.]  Philadelphia,  4°,  741  pp.  ;  with  a  folio  atlas  of  61  plates. 
Notice  of  some  genera  of  Cyclopacea.     Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  (2),  vol. 

i,  pp.  225-230. 

General  views  on  the  classification  of  animals.     Ibid.,  pp.  286-288. 
On  the   occurrence   of  Fluor  Spar,   Apatite,  and  Chondrodite  in 

Limestone.     Ibid.,  vol.  2,  pp.  88-89. 
The  volcanoes  of  the  moon.     Ibid.,  pp.  335-355. 
1846-1847  Zoophytes.     Ibid.,  pp.  64-69  ;  pp.  187-202  ;  vol.  3,  pp.  1-24; 

pp.  160-163  J  pp.  337-347- 

1847  The  origin  of  continents.     Ibid.,  vol.  3,  pp.  94-100. 

Geological  results  of  the  earth's  contraction  in  consequence  of  cool- 
ing.    Ibid.,  pp.  176-188. 
Origin  of  the  grand  outline  features  of  the  earth.     Ibid.,  pp.  381- 

398. 
A  general  review  of  the  geological  effects  of  the  earth's  cooling  from 

a  state  of  igneous  fusion.     Ibid.,  vol.  4,  pp.  88-92. 
Fossil  shells  from  Australia.     Ibid.,  pp.  151-160. 
Observations  on  some  Tertiary  corals  described  by  Mr.  Lonsdale. 

Ibid.,  pp.  359-362. 

Certain  laws  of  cohesive  attraction.     Ibid.,  pp.  364-385. 
1847-1851  Conspectus   Crustaceorum.     I.  Proc.    Amer.   Acad.,    Boston, 

vol.    i,   pp.    149-155.     II.  Ibid.,   vol.   2,   pp.    9-61.     III.  Proc. 

Amer.  Acad.,  Boston,  vol.  2,  pp.  201-220.       IV.  Amer.   Jour. 

Sci.,  (2),  vol.  8,  pp.  424-428.    V.  Ibid.,  vol.  9,  pp.  129-133.    VI. 

Ibid.,  vol.  n,  pp.  268-274. 

1848  MANUAL  OF  MINERALOGY,  including  Observations  on  Mines,  Rocks, 

Reduction  of  Ores,  and  the  application  of  the  Science  to  the  Arts. 
New  Haven,  12°,  430  pp. 

On  a  law  of  cohesive  attraction  as  exemplified  in  a  crystal  of  snow. 
Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  (2),  vol.  5,  pp.  100-102. 

1849  Review  of  Chambers's  Ancient  Sea-margins,  with  observations  on  the 

study  of  terraces.     Ibid.,  vol.  7,  pp.  1-14  ;  vol.  8,  pp.  86-89. 
Notes  on  Upper  California.     Ibid.,  vol.  7,  pp.  247-264. 
Observation  on  some  points  in  the  Physical  Geography  of  Oregon 

and  Upper  California.     Ibid.,  pp.  376-394. 

Synopsis  of  the  genera  of  Gammaracea.     Ibid.,  vol.  8,  pp.  135-140. 
Conspectus    Crustaceorum:    Crustacea    Entomostraca.      Ibid.,   pp. 

276-285. 
GEOLOGY.      [U.     S.     Exploring    Expedition     under    C.    Wilkes, 

U.   S.  N.]     Philadelphia,  4°,  756  pp.  ;  with  a  folio  atlas  of  21 

plates. 

386 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

1850  A  SYSTEM  OF  MINERALOGY.     3d  edition,  711  pp.,  8°.     New  York 

and  London. 

Denudation  in  the  Pacific.     Amer.  Jour.  Set.,  (2),  vol.  9,  pp.  48-62. 
The  isomorphism  and  atomic  volume  of  some  minerals.     Ibid.,  pp. 

220-245. 

On  the  genus  Astrsea.     Ibid.,  295-297. 
The  degradation  of  rocks  and  formation  of  valleys  of  New  South 

Wales.     Ibid.,  pp.  289-294. 
Historical  account  of  the  eruptions  on  Hawaii.     Ibid.,  pp.  347-364  ; 

vol.  10,  pp.  235-244. 
Some  minerals  recently  investigated  by  M.  Hermann.     Ibid.,  pp. 

408-412. 

Observations  on  the  Mica  family.     Ibid.,  vol.  10,  pp;  114-119. 
The  analogy  between  the  mode  of  reproduction  in  plants  and  the 

"Alternation  of  generations  observed  in  some  Radiata."     Ibid., 

pp.  341-343- 

1851  The  markings  of  the  Carapax  of  Crabs.     Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  (2),  vol. 

n,  pp.  95-99. 
The  physical  and  crystallographic  characters  of  the  Phosphate  of 

Iron,  Manganese,  and  Lithia  of  Norwich,  Mass.     Ibid.,  pp.  100- 

101. 

On  a  new  genus  of  Crustacea.     Ibid.,  223-224. 
Mineralogical  notices.     Ibid.,  pp.  225-234;  vol.    12,  pp.   205-222; 

PP.  387-397. 

Classification  of  Maioid  Crustacea.     Ibid.,  pp.  425-434. 
Classification  of  the  Cancroidea.     Ibid.,  vol.  12,  pp.  121-131. 
Conspectus  Crustaceorum  :  Crustacea  Grapsoidea.    Proc.  Acad.  Nat. 

Sci.  Philadelphia,  vol  5,  pp.  247-254. 
Classification  of  the  Crustacea  Grapsoidea.     Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  (2), 

vol.  12,  pp.  283-290. 
Conspectus  Crustaceorum  :  Crustacea  Paguridea.     Proc.  Acad.  Nat. 

Sci.  Philadelphia,  vol.  5,  pp.  267-272. 
Crystallographic  identity  of  Eumanite  and  Brookite.     Amer.  Jour. 

Sci.,  (2),  vol.  12,  pp.  397-398. 
1851-1852  Coral  reefs  and  islands.     Ibid.,  vol.  n,  pp.  357-372  ;  vol.  12, 

pp.  25-51  ;  pp.  165-186 ;  pp.  329-338  ;  vol.  13,  pp.  34-41 ;  pp. 

185-195  ;  pp.  338-350  J  vol.  14,  pp.  76-84. 

1852  Classification  of  the  Crustacea  Corystoidea.     Ibid.,  vol.  13,  pp.  119- 

121. 

Conspectus  Crustaceorum  :  Crustacea  Paguridea,  Megalopidea,  and 
Macroura.  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Philadelphia,  vol.  6,  pp.  6-28. 

Conspectus  Crustaceorum  :  Crustacea  Cancroidea.    Ibid.,  pp.  73~86. 

Lettering  figures  of  Crystals.  Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  (2),  vol.  13,  pp. 
339-404. 

387 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

On  the  Humite  of  Monte  Somma.     Ibid.,  vol.  14,  pp.  175-182. 
The  eruption  of  Mauna  Loa  in  1852.     Ibid.,  pp.  254-259. 
Classification  of  the  Crustacea  Choristopoda.     Ibid.,  pp.  297-316. 
Some  modern  calcareous  rock-formations.     Ibid.,  pp.  410-418. 

1853  CORAL  REEFS  AND  ISLANDS.     New  York,  8°,  144  pp. 

Changes  of  level  in  the  Pacific  Ocean.     Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  (2),  vol. 

15,  PP.  157-175. 
The  question  whether  temperature  determines  the  distribution  of 

marine  species  of  animals  in  depth.     Ibid.,  pp.  204-207. 
Mineralogical  notices.     Ibid.,  pp.  430-449. 

The  isomorphism  of  Sphene  and  Euclase.     Ibid.,  vol.  16,  pp.  96-97. 
An  isothermal  oceanic  chart.     Ibid.,  pp.  153-167  ;  pp.  314-327. 
The  consolidation  of  Coral  formations.     Ibid.,  pp.  357-364. 
A  supposed  change  of  ocean  temperature.     Ibid.,  pp.  391-392. 
1852-1854  CRUSTACEA.     [U.  S.  Exploring  Expedition  under  C.  Wilkes, 

U.  S.  N.]  New  York,  4°,  pt.  I,  pp.  1-690  ;  pt.  II,  pp.  690-1620, 

with  a  folio  atlas  of  96  plates,  issued  in  1854. 

1854  A  SYSTEM  OF  MINERALOGY.     4th  edition,  in  2  volumes,  320  and  534 

pp.,  8°.     New  York  and  London. 

Mineralogical  contributions.     Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  vol.  17,  pp.  75-88; 

vol.  18,  pp.  249-254. 
Contributions  to  chemical   Mineralogy.     Ibid.,   pp.   128-131  ;   pp. 

2IO-22I. 

Homceomorphism  of  some  mineral  species.     Ibid.,  pp.  430-434. 
The  homceomorphism  of  mineral  species  of  the  Trimetric  system. 
Ibid.,  vol.  18,  pp.  35-54. 

1854-1855  Geographical  distribution  of  Crustacea.  Ibid.,  pp.  314-326  ; 
vol.  19,  pp.  6-15  ;  vol.  20,  pp.  168-178  ;  pp.  349-361. 

l855~I856  Supplements  to  the  System  of  Mineralogy.  Ibid.,  (2),  vol.  19, 
PP-  353-371  ;  vol.  21,  pp.  192-213  ;  vol.  22,  pp.  246-263. 

1856  Address  before  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science  on  retiring  from  the  duties  of  President.  Proc.  Assoc. 
for  1855,  pp.  1-36. 

Volcanic  action  at  Mauna  Loa.     Ibid.,  vol.  21,  pp.  241-244. 

Classification  of  Crustacea.     Ibid.,  vol.  22,  pp.  14-29. 

American  geological  history.     Ibid.,  pp.  305-334. 

The  plan  of  development  in  the  geological  history  of  North  America. 

Ibid.,  pp.  335-349- 

1856-1857  Science  and  the  Bible  ;  a  review  of :  and  the  six  days  of  crea- 
tion, of  Prof.  Tayler  Lewis.  Bibl.  Sac.,  vol.  13,  no.  49,  pp.  80- 
129  ;  vol.  13,  no.  51,  pp.  631-656  ;  vol.  14,  no.  54,  pp.  388-413  ; 
vol.  14,  no.  55,  pp.  461-524. 

388 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

1857  MANUAL  OF  MINERALOGY.     2d  edition,  455  pp.,  12°.     New  Haven. 
On  Species.     Bibl.  Sac.,  vol.  14,  pp.  854-874.     Reprint :  Amer. 

Jour.  Set.,  (2),  vol.  24,  pp.  305-316. 

Fourth  supplement  to  the  Mineralogy.     Ibid.,  pp.  107-132. 
Review  of  Dr.  Kane's  Arctic  Explorations.     Ibid.,  pp.  235-251, 
Parthenogenesis.     Ibid.,  pp.  399-408. 

1858  Review  of  Agassiz's  Contributions  to  the  natural  history  of  the  U.  S. 

Ibid.,  vol.  25,  pp.  202-216  ;  pp.  321-341. 
Fifth  supplement  to  the  Mineralogy.     Ibid.,  pp.  396-416. 
The  currents  of  the  Oceans.     Ibid.,  vol.  26,  pp.  231-233. 
Review  of  Marcou's  Geology  of  North  America.    Ibid.,  pp.  323-333. 
Sixth  supplement  to  the  Mineralogy.     Ibid.,  pp.  345-364. 

1859  SYNOPSIS  OF  THE  REPORT  ON  ZOOPHYTES,  etc.,  172  pp.,  8°.    New 

Haven. 
Eruption  of  Mauna  Loa,  Hawaii.     Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  vol.  27,  pp. 

410-415. 

Anticipations  of  Man  in  Nature.    JV.  Englander,  vol.  17,  pp.  294—334. 
Seventh  supplement  to  the  Mineralogy.     Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  (2),  vol. 

28,  pp.  128-144. 

1862  MANUAL  OF  GEOLOGY  ;  treating  of  the  principles  of  the  science  with 

special  reference  to  American  geological  history  ;  for  the  use  of 
Colleges,  Academies,  and  Schools  of  Science.  Philadelphia  and 
London,  small  8°,  812  pp. 

1863  The  higher  subdivisions  in  the  classification  of  Mammals.     Amer. 

Joitr.  Sci.,  (2),  vol.  35,  pp.  65-71. 

The  existence  of  a  Mohawk-valley  glacier.     Ibid.,  pp.  243-249. 

On  Man's  zoological  position.     N.  Englander,  vol.  22,  pp.  283-287. 

Two  oceanic  species  of  Protozoans  related  to  the  sponges.     Amer. 
Jour.  Sci.,  (2),  vol.  35,  pp.  386-387. 

On  cephalization.     N.  Englander,  vol.  22,  pp.  495-506. 

On  cephalization  and  on  Megasthenes  and  Microsthenes  in  classifica- 
tion.    Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  (2),  vol.  36,  pp.  i-io. 

On  the  Appalachians  and  Rocky  Mountains  as  time-boundaries  in 
geological  history.     Ibid.,  pp.  227-233. 

The  homologies  of  the  Insectean  and  Crustacean  types.     Ibid. ,  vol. 
36,  pp.  233-235. 

Certain  parallel  relations  between   the  classes  of  Vertebrates  and 

some  characteristics  of  the  Reptilian  Birds.     Ibid.,  pp.  315-321. 
1863-1864  The  classification  of  animals  based  on  the  principle  of  Cephali- 
zation.    Ibid.,   pp.  321-352;  pp.   440-442;  vol.  37,  pp.   10-33; 
pp.  157-183  ;  pp.  184-186. 

1864  A  TEXT-BOOK  OF  GEOLOGY  :  designed  for  Schools  and  Academies. 

Philadelphia,  12°,  356  pp. 

389 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

Fossil  insects  from  the  Carboniferous  formation  in  Illinois.  Amer. 
Jour.  Sci.,  vol.  37,  pp.  34-35. 

1865  The  crystallization  of  Brushite.     Ibid.,  (2),  vol.  39,  pp.  45~46. 
Origin  of  Prairies.     Ibid.,  vol.  40,  pp.  293-304. 

1866  Cephalization.     Explanations    drawn  out  by  the  statements  of  an 

objector.     Ibid.,  vol.  41,  pp.  163-174. 
A  word  on  the  origin  of  Life.     Ibid.,  pp.  389-394. 
Observations  on  the  origin  of  some  of  the  Earth's  features.     Ibid., 

vol.  42,  pp.  205-211  ;  pp.  252-253. 

1867  Crystallogenic  and  crystallographic  contributions.      Ibid.,   vol.  44, 

pp.  89-95  ;  pp.  252-263  ;  pp.  398-409- 
Mineralogical  nomenclature.     Ibid.,  pp.  145-151. 

1868  A  SYSTEM  OF  MINERALOGY  :  DESCRIPTIVE  MINERALOGY,  aided  by 

George  Jarvis  Brush.     827  pp.,  8°.     New  York. 
Recent   eruption   of    Mauna   Loa  and   Kilauea,    Hawaii.      Amer. 
Jour.  Sci.,  vol.  46,  pp.  105-123. 

1870  The  Geology  of  the  New  Haven  Region,  with  especial  reference  to 

the  origin  of  its  topographical  features.      Trans.   Conn.   Acad., 
vol.  2,  pp.  45-112. 

1871  On  the  Quaternary  or   Post-tertiary  of  the   New   Haven   Region. 

Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  (3),  vol.  I,  pp.  1-5  ;  pp.  125-126. 
On  the  supposed  legs  of  a  Trilobite,  Asaphus  platycephalus.     Ibid., 

pp.  320-321. 
The  Connecticut  River  valley  Glacier,  and  other  examples  of  Glacier 

movement  along  the  valleys  of  New  England.     Ibid.,  vol.  2,  pp. 

233-243. 

The  position  and  height  of  the  elevated  plateau  in  which  the  Glacier 
of  New  England,  in  the  Glacial  era,  had  its  origin.  Ibid.,  pp. 
324-330. 

1872  CORALS  AND  CORAL  ISLANDS.     New  York,  large  8°,  398  pp. 

Notice  of  the  address  of  Prof.  T.  Sterry-Hunt  before  the  American 

Association  at  Indianapolis.     Amer.  Jour.   Sci.,  vol.  3,  pp.  86- 

93  ;  vol.  4,  pp.  97-105. 
What  is  true  Taconic?     Amer.   Naturalist,  vol.   6,  pp.   197-199; 

Amer.  Jour. Sci.,  (3),  vol.  3,  pp.  468-470. 
Green  Mountain  Geology  :  On  the  Quartzite.    Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  (3), 

vol.  3,  pp.  179-186  ;  pp.  250-256. 

On  the  Oceanic  Coral  Island  subsidence.     Ibid.,  vol.  4,  pp.  31-37. 
1872-1873  On  the  Quartzite,  Limestone,  and  associated  rocks  of  the  vicinity 

of  Great  Barrington,  Berkshire  Co.,  Mass.     Ibid.,  pp.   362-370; 

PP-  450-453  ;    vol.   5,  pp.  47-53  ;    pp.  84-91  ;    vol.   6,  pp.   257- 

278. 

390 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

1873  The  Glacial  and  Champlain  eras  in  New  England.     Ibid.,  vol.  5, 

pp.  198-211. 

Results  of  the  Earth's  contraction  from  cooling,  including  a  discus- 
sion of  the  origin  of  Mountains,  and  the  nature  of  the  earth's 
interior.  Ibid.,  pp.  423-443  ;  vol.  6,  pp.  6-14  ;  pp.  104-115  ;  pp. 
161-172. 

On  the  rocks  of  the  Helderberg  era,  in  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut. 
Ibid.,  vol.  6,  pp.  339-352. 

1874  MANUAL  OF  GEOLOGY.     2d  edition,  911  pp.,  8°.     New  York. 
TEXT-BOOK  OF  GEOLOGY.     2d  edition,  358  pp.,  8°.     New  York 

and  Chicago. 
Changes  in  subdivisions  of  Geological  time.     Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  vol. 

8,  pp.  213-216. 
On  Serpentine  pseudomorphs,  and  other  kinds  from  the  Tilly  Foster 

Iron  mine,  Putnam  Co.,  New  York.     Ibid.,  pp.  371-381  ;    pp. 

447-459- 

1875  THE  GEOLOGICAL  STORY  BRIEFLY  TOLD,  an  introduction  to  Geology 

for  the  general  reader  and  for  beginners  in  the  science.     New 
York,  12°,  264  pp. 
Notice  of  the  chemical  and  geological  essays  of   T.   Sterry-Hunt. 

Amer.  Jour.  Set.,  (3),  vol.  9,  pp.  102-109. 
On  Dr.  Koch's  evidence  with  regard  to  the  contemporaneity  of  Man 

and  the  Mastodon  in  Missouri.     Ibid.,  pp.  335-346. 

I 875-* 876  Southern  New  England  during  the  melting  of  the  great  Glacier. 
Ibid.,  vol.  10,  pp.  168-183  ;  pp.  280-282  ;  pp.  353-35?  I  PP-  409- 
438 ;  pp.  497-508  ;  vol.  12,  pp.  125-128. 

1876  "  The  Chloritic  formation  "  on  the  western  border  of  the  New  Haven 

Region.     Ibid.,  vol.  II,  pp.   119-122. 
On  the  damming  of  streams  by  drift  ice  during  the  melting  of  the 

great  Glacier.     Ibid.,  pp.  178-180. 

Plants  as  registers  of  geological  age.     Ibid.,  pp.  407-409. 
Note  on  Erosion.     Ibid.,  vol.  12,  pp.  192-193. 
On  Cephalization.     Ibid.,  pp.  245-251. 

1877  An  account  of  the  discoveries  in  Vermont  Geology  of  the  Rev.  Au- 

gustus Wing.     Ibid.,  vol.  13,  pp.  332-347  ;  pp.  405-419 ;  vol.  14, 

PP.  36-37. 
The  relations  of  the  geology  of  Vermont  to  that  of  Berkshire.     Ibid. , 

vol.  14,  pp.  37-48  ;  pp.  132-140  ;  pp.  202-207  ;  PP-  257-264. 
The  Helderberg  formation   of  Bernardston,    Mass.,    and   Vernon, 

Vermont.     Ibid.,  pp.  379-387. 

1878  MANUAL  OF  MINERALOGY  AND  LITHOLOGY.     3d  edition,  474  pp., 

12°.     New  Haven. 

On  the  driftless  interior  of  North  America.  Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  vol. 
15,  pp.  250-255. 

391 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

*'  Indurated  Bitumen  "  in  the  trap  of  the  Connecticut  valley.     Ibid., 

vol.  16,  pp.  130-132. 

Geology  of  New  Hampshire.     Ibid.,  pp.  399-401. 

1878-1879  Some  points  in  Lithology.     Ibid.,  pp.  335-343  ;  pp.  431-440; 
vol.  18,  pp.  134-135. 

1879  The  Hudson  River  age  of  the  Taconic  schists.     Ibid.,  vol.  17,  pp. 

375-388  ;  vol.  18,  pp.  61-64. 

1880  MANUAL  OF  GEOLOGY.     3d  edition,  912  pp.,  8°.     New  York. 
Gilbert's  Report  on  the  Geology  of  the  Henry  Mountains.     Amer. 

Jour.  Sci.,  vol.  19,  pp.  17-25. 

The  age  of  the  Green  Mountains.     Ibid.,  pp.  191-200. 
1880-1881  The  geological  relations  of  the  Limestone  belts  of  Westchester 
Co.,   New  York.     Ibid.,  vol.  20,  pp.  21-32;  pp.   194-220;  pp. 
359-375  ;  PP-  450-456 ;  vol.  21,  pp.  425~443  I  vol.  22,  pp.  103- 

119;  pp.  313-315 ;  pp.  327-335. 

1 88 1  On  the  relation  of  the  so-called  "  Kames"  of  the  Connecticut  River 

valley  to  the  Terrace-formation.     Ibid.,  vol.  22,  pp.  451-468. 

1882  The  flood  of  the  Connecticut  River  valley  from  the  melting  of  the 

Quaternary  Glacier.     Ibid.,  vol.  23,  pp.  87-97  ;  pp.  179-202  ;  pp. 

360-373  I  vol.  24,  pp.  98-104. 

TEXT-BOOK  OF  GEOLOGY.     4th  edition,  412  pp.,  8°.     New  York. 
Review  of  Button's  Tertiary  History  of  the  Grand  Canon  district. 

Amer.  Jour.  Sd.,  vol.  24,  pp.  81-89. 
Southward  discharge  of  Lake  Winnipeg.     Ibid.,  pp.  428-433. 

1883  The  western  discharge  of  the  flooded  Connecticut.     Ibid.,  vol.  25, 

pp.  440-448. 

Phenomena  of  the  Glacial  and  Champlain  periods  about  the  mouth 
of  the  Connecticut  valley — that  is,  in  the  New  Haven  region.  Ibid., 
pp.  341-361  ;  vol.  27,  pp.  113-130. 

1884  Obituary  of  Prof.  Arnold  Guyot.     Ibid.,  vol.  27,  pp.  246-248. 
Condition  occasioning  the  Ohio  River  flood  of  February,  1884.  Ibid., 

pp.  419-421. 

On  the  Southward  ending  of  a  great  synclinal  in  the  Taconic  Range. 
Ibid.,  vol.  28,  pp.  268-275. 

The  Cortlandt  and  Stony  Point  Hornblendic  and  Augitic  rocks. 
Ibid.,  pp.  384-386. 

Origin  of  bedding  in  so-called  metamorphic  rocks.  Ibid.,  pp.  393- 
396. 

The  making  of  Limonite  ore  beds.     Ibid.,  pp.  398-400. 

The  decay  of  Quartzite,  and  the  formation  of  sand,  kaolin,  and  crystal- 
lized quartz.  Ibid.,  pp.  448-452. 

1885  A  system  of  Rock  notation  for  geological  diagrams.     Ibid.,  vol.  29, 

pp.  7-10. 
The  decay  of  Quartzite  : — Pseudo-breccia.     Ibid.,  pp.  57-58. 

392 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Creation  ;  or  the  Biblical  Cosmogony  in  the  light  of  modern  sci- 
ence. Bibl.  Sac.,  vol.  42,  no.  166,  pp.  202-224. 

Taconic  rocks  and  stratigraphy.  Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  (3),  vol.29,  pp. 
205-222 ;  pp.  437-443- 

Origin  of  Coral  Reefs  and  Islands.  Ibid.,  vol.  30,  pp.  89-105  ;  pp. 
169-191. 

On  displacement  through  intrusion.     Ibid.,  pp.  374-376. 

1886  Lower  Silurian  fossils  from  a  limestone  of  the  original  Taconic  of 

Emmons.     Ibid.,  vol.  31,  pp.  241-248. 
Arnold  Guyot.     Ibid.,  pp.  358-370. 

Early  history  of  Taconic  investigation.     Ibid.,  pp.  399-401. 
General  terms  applied   to  Metamorphism  and  to  the  Porphyritic 

structure  of  rocks.     Ibid.,  vol.  32,  pp.  69-72. 
Taconic  stratigraphy  and  fossils.     Ibid.,  pp.  236-239. 
A  dissected  volcanic  Mountain,  Tahiti.     Ibid.,  pp.  247-255. 

1887  MANUAL  OF  MINERALOGY  AND  LITHOLOGY.    4th  edition,  518  pp., 

12°.     New  York. 

Volcanic  action.     Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  vol.  33,  pp.  102-115. 
Taconic  rocks  and  stratigraphy.     Ibid.,  pp.  270-276  ;  pp.  393-419. 

1887-1888  History  of  the  changes  in  the  Mauna  Loa  craters  on  Hawaii. 
Ibid.,  pp.  433-451  J  vol.  34,  pp.  81-97  ;  pp.  349-364 ;  vol.  35,  pp. 
15-34 ;  pp.  213-228  ;  pp.  282-289 ;  vol.  36,  pp.  14-32  ;  pp.  81- 
112  ;  pp.  167-175. 

1888  The  Cosmogony  of  Genesis.     Andover  Rev.,  pp.  197-200. 
Asa  Gray.     Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  (3),  vol.  35,  pp.  181-203. 

A  brief  history  of  Taconic  ideas.     Ibid.,  vol.  36,  pp.  410-427. 
Dodge's  observations  on  Halemaumau.     Ibid.,  vol.  37,  pp.  48-50. 
Notes  on  Mauna  Loa  in  July,  1888.     Ibid.,  pp.  51-53. 

1889  Points  in  the  geological  history  of  the  islands  of  Maui  and  Oahu. 

Ibid.,  pp.  81-103. 

The  origin  of  the  deep  troughs  of  the  Oceanic  depression.  Are  any 
of  volcanic  origin?  Ibid.,  pp.  192-202. 

1890  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  VOLCANOES,  with  contributions  of  facts  and 

principles  from  the  Hawaiian  Islands.     New  York,  8°,  400  pp. 
CORALS  AND  CORAL  ISLANDS.     2d  edition,  440  pp.,  8°.    New  York. 
Sedgwick  and  Murchison — Cambrian  and  Silurian.     Amer.  Jour. 

Sci.,  vol.  39,  pp.  167-180. 

Archaean  axes  of  eastern  North  America.     Ibid.,  pp.  378-383. 
Rocky  Mountain  Protaxis  and  the  Post-Cretaceous  mountain-making 

along  its  course.     Ibid.,  vol.  40,  pp.  181-196. 
Long  Island  Sound  in  the  Quaternary  Era.     Ibid.,  pp.  425-437.- 
The  Genesis  of  the  Heavens  and  the  Earth  and  all  the  host  of  them. 

Hartford,  12°,  70  pp. 

393 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

1891  THE  FOUR   ROCKS   OF  THE   NEW  HAVEN   REGION,   East  Rock, 

West  Rock,  Pine  Rock,  and  Mill  Rock,  in  illustration  of  the 
features  of  non- volcanic  igneous  ejections.  With  a  guide  to  walks 
and  drives  about  New  Haven.  New  Haven,  8°,  120  pp. 

Features  of  non-volcanic  igneous  ejections  as  illustrated  in  the  four 
Rocks  of  the  New  Haven  region.  Amer.  your.  Sci.,  (3),  vol.  42, 
pp.  79-110. 

On  Percival's  map  of  the  Jura-Trias  trap-belts  of  central  Connecticut. 
Ibid.,  vol.  42,  pp.  439-447. 

1892  Subdivisions  in  Archaean  History.     Ibid.,  vol.  43,  pp.  455-462. 
Additional  observations  on  the  Jura-Trias  trap  of  the  New  Haven 

region.     Ibid.,  vol.  44,  pp.   165-169. 

1893  On  New  England  and  the  Upper  Mississippi  basin  in  the  glacial 

period.     Ibid.,  vol.  46,  pp.  327-330. 

1894  Observations  on  the  derivation  and  homologies  of  some  articulates. 

Ibid.,  vol.  47,  pp.  325-329. 

1895  MANUAL  OF  GEOLOGY.     4th  edition,  1057  pp.,  8°.     New  York. 


394 


Ill 


THE  NEW  HAVEN  UNIVERSITY  :  WHAT  IT  IS,  AND  WHAT 
IT  REQUIRES.      BY  PROF.  JAMES  D.  DANA,  LL.D.       1 87 1  * 

The  friends  of  Yale  are  not  yet  all  aware  that  what  they  have  been  accus- 
tomed to  call  Yale  College,  is  fast  becoming  a  subordinate  member  of  a 
University.  The  change  began  thirty  years  since,  and  has  been  rapid  in  its 
progress  during  the  latter  half  of  that  period  ;  and  still  its  graduates,  when 
their  thoughts  turn  New  Havenward,  think  only  of  Old  Yale,  or  of  Old 
Yale  and  its  adjuncts,  among  them  a  "  Scientific  School."  They  have  not 
awakened  to  the  fact  that  Yale  College  and  the  "  Sheffield  Scientific  School 
of  Yale  College  "  are  parallel  parts  in  one  division  of  the  New  Haven  Uni- 
versity ;  that  this  University  has  its  well  considered  scheme  of  organization, 
and,  beyond  this,  is  so  far  a  realized  fact  that  it  will  need  from  the  successor 
of  President  Woolsey  (soon  to  be  elected)  little  more  than  a  filling  out  of  its 
existing  system  and  means  of  instruction.  Yale  College  is  not  losing  its 
high  position  in  the  change  ;  on  the  contrary,  it  is  taking  a  more  honorable 
stand  through  the  higher  developments  in  the  system  of  education  which  its 
officers  and  those  of  other  departments  are  pushing  forward. 

We  propose  to  give  some  account  of  the  New  Haven  University  for  the 
enlightenment  of  Yale  graduates  ;  but  also,  and  principally,  for  the  benefit 
of  the  public  generally,  who  have  reason  for  profound  interest  in  whatever 
concerns  American  college  education.  We  may  consider  first,  What  the 
University  is ;  and,  secondly,  What  is  required  for  its  completed  develop- 
ment. The  subject  of  endowments  is  here  left  out  of  view. 

I.     THE  NATURE  AND  CONDITION  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY 

I.  Its  general  subdivisions.  The  University  comprises  five  departments: 
(i)  the  Philosophical;  (2)  the  Theological;  (3)  the  department  of  Law;  (4) 
the  Medical ;  (5)  the  department  of  the  Fine  Arts. 

The  first  of  these  departments — the  Philosophical — consists  of  the  Post- 
graduate schools  of  the  University  ;  and,  tributary  to  them,  there  are  two 
undergraduate  colleges  :  the  Academic,  or  Yale  College,  and  the  Scientific, 
or  Sheffield  College.  The  whole  period  of  study,  to  the  close  of  the  Post- 
graduate courses,  is  six  years. 

*  The  following  brochure  is  reprinted  as  a  landmark  in  the  expansion  of 
Yale  College. 

395 


LIFE   OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

This  department,  named  by  the  statute  the  "  Department  of  Philosophy 
and  the  Arts,"  was  established  in  1847,  for  advanced  students,  literary  or 
scientific,  and  with  it  was  connected,  in  1860,  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philos- 
ophy, to  be  given  only  in  case  of  high  proficiency  after  a  rigid  examination. 
The  degree  of  Bachelor  preceded  in  time  that  of  Doctor,  and  was  instituted 
at  the  request  of  the  officers  of  the  Scientific  School  for  graduates  of  a  two- 
years'  course  of  study.  This  two-years'  course  was  afterwards  changed  to  a 
three-years'  course  ;  and  it  is  now  in  contemplation  to  make  it  a  four-years' 
course.  Other  years  of  study  follow  for  the  degree  of  Doctor,  making  it  six 
years  in  all,  as  for  students  of  the  Academic  department.  There  are  hence 
at  Yale  two  undergraduate  colleges,  each  terminating  in  the  degree  of 
Bachelor,  and  each  furnishing  graduates  to  the  Post-graduate  schools.  One 
of  these,  the  Scientific,  has  (as  a  result  of  its  history)  a  place  in  this  Philo- 
sophical department,  while  the  Academic,  though  no  less  entitled  to  the 
position  by  its  range  of  studies,  has  thus  far  remained  outside — its  professors 
excepted,  who  with  the  professors  of  the  Scientific  College  and  some  special 
Post-graduate  professors,  constitute  the  faculty  and  give  instruction  in  the 
department.  It  is  proposed  to  have  both  undergraduate  colleges  put  on  the 
same  footing  ;  and  the  arrangement  adopted  in  this  account  of  the  Univer- 
sity, which  includes  these  two  colleges  as  well  as  the  Post-graduate  schools 
in  the  Philosophical  department,  is  favored  by  the  Academic  faculty. 

2.  Subjects  of  Study.     Besides  the  studies  of  Yale  College,  and  those  of 
the  Professional  schools,  Theology,  Law,  and  Medicine,  there  are  the  follow- 
ing courses  in  full  and  vigorous  prosecution  through  the  relatively  new 
Sheffield  or  Scientific  College,  under  its  twelve  professors  and  other  instruc- 
tors, viz  :  Mathematics,  Civil  and  Dynamical  Engineering,  Analytical  and 
Descriptive  Geometry,  Astronomy,  Pure  and  Applied  Chemistry,  Agricul- 
ture, Mechanics,  Physics,  Metallurgy,  Zoology,  Botany,  Geology,  Paleon- 
tology, Physical  and  Political  Geography,  Linguistics,  French  and  German, 
besides  the  English  Language  and  Literature,  and  other  literary  departments. 

In  addition,  there  are  arrangements  at  Yale  for  instruction  in  Sanskrit, 
Hebrew,  Chinese,  Japanese,  and  other  philological  studies  mentioned  be- 
yond. At  the  same  time,  the  School  of  the  Fine  Arts  supplies  instruction 
in  drawing  and  painting,  and  lectures  on  art.  The  range  of  studies  at  Yale 
has  thus  greatly  widened  within  a  score  of  years,  and  has  taken  a  university 
scope. 

3.  Philosophical  Department.      Education,  moreover,  has  risen  to  a  uni- 
versity grade  along  nearly  all  the  lines  of  study  in  the  Philosophical  depart- 
ment, and  provision  has  been  made  for  the  higher  Post-graduate  instruction 
by  the  recognition  of  distinct  Post-graduate  sections  or  schools. 

a.  The  Philological  School,  under  Professor  W.  D.  Whitney,  Mr.  Addi- 
son  Van  Name,  the  Librarian  of  the  University,  and  the  Linguistic  pro- 
fessors of  Yale  and  Sheffield  Colleges,  and  of  the  Theological  department. 
Systematic  courses  of  thorough  instruction  are  provided  for  in  general 
philology,  comparative  study  of  the  Indo-European  languages,  the  special 

396 


THE   NEW    HAVEN   UNIVERSITY 

study  of  Sanskrit  and  other  Oriental  languages,  Greek  and  Latin  (for 
advanced  students),  and  the  most  important  Teutonic  and  Romantic  lan- 
guages. The  present  organization  of  this  Post-graduate  school,  only 
recently  perfected,  is  mainly  due  to  Prof.  Whitney.  But  its  inauguration 
dates  from  1841,  when  Edward  E.  Salisbury  was  appointed  to  the  Professor- 
ship of  the  Arabic  language  and  literature  ;  and  we  may  add  that  Prof. 
Whitney  was  one  of  his  pupils.  Mr.  Whitney's  duties  as  Professor  of  San- 
skrit commenced  in  1854,  and  have  since  been  unintermitted. 

b.  Section  of  Intellectual  and  Moral  Philosophy ',  Political  Science,  and 
History. 

c.  Section  of  Mathematics,  Physics,  and  Astronomy. 

These  sections  have  not  been  formally  separated  and  systematized,  yet 
each  has  had  its  graduates  during  the  ten  years  past  who  have  taken  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy.  The  latter  is  especially  incomplete  in  its 
arrangements  for  physical  instruction.  Its  mathematical  course  has  been 
pursued  by  a  large  proportion  of  those  who  have  received  the  degree  of 
Doctor,  and  several  students  have  been  at  work  during  the  year  now 
closing.  A  first-class  astronomical  observatory  is  soon  to  be  commenced, 
and  there  is  prospect  of  a  physical  laboratory  in  connection  with  the 
Sheffield  College. 

d.  The  Sheffield  College  Section.    The  various  courses  of  Sheffield  College, 
in  pure  and  applied  Science,  are  carried  forward  by  its  officers  into  the  Post- 
graduate department,  where  they  constitute  the  Sheffield  College  section. 
This  is  the  widest  in  range  of  subjects  in  the  University,  and  has  had 
recently  far  the  larger  part  of  the  Post-graduate  students.     It  has  been  in 
excellent  working  order  for  several  years,  and  has  sent  forth  a  number  of 
men   of  high  scientific  attainments.      Many  graduates   of   the  Academic 
College  continue  their  studies  by  entering  the  Scientific  College.     From 
the  Sheffield  College  section  should  properly  be  separated : 

e.  The  Engineering  Section.     There  are  two   courses  of   study  in   this 
section,  that  of  Civil  Engineering,  and  that  of   Dynamical  Engineering. 
The  former  was  instituted  in  1852,  the  latter  the  past  year,  by  the  establish- 
ment of  a  special  chair,  which  we  may  say  is  ably  filled.     Both  have  a 
direct  connection  with  the  Scientific  College.     All  the  working  plans  and 
drawings  of   the  once  extensive  "  Novelty  Works,"  of  New  York,  were 
recently  given  to  the  department  by  the  company,  and  they  add  much  to  its 
resources  for  the  higher  range  of  education  in  Dynamical  Engineering. 

The  method  of  instruction  in  the  Post-graduate  schools  is  to  some  extent 
by  means  of  lectures,  but  not  popular  lectures  ;  partly  by  laboratory  or 
field  work,  that  is,  in  the  sciences  requiring  such  ;  largely  by  means  of 
books  for  close  study,  and  direct,  personal  aid  from  the  professors  in  the 
department,  with  frequent  recitations.  The  aim  of  the  University  is  to 
have  men  in  the  chairs  who  will  work  as  scholars  on  the  ground,  in  order 
to  infuse  thereby  scholarly  feeling  and  life  into  students,  as  well  as  ensure 
thorough  scholarship. 

397 


LIFE  OF  JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

4.  The  other  departments  of  the  University  have  undergone  less  change 
than  the  Philosophical.     The  Theological  is  in  full  tide  of  prosperity,  and 
has  recently  augmented  its  force  by  a  valuable  addition  to  its  corps  of  pro- 
fessors,   and  by  the  institution  of  important  lectureships.     The  Medical 
School  has  been  somewhat  enlarged  in  its  sphere,  and  has  an   energetic 
corps  of  professors. 

The  department  of  the  Fine  Arts  has  two  professorships  well  filled,  one 
of  Painting  and  Design,  and  the  other  of  the  History  and  Criticism  of  Art. 
It  has  also  the  endowment  of  a  professorship  of  Drawing  (obtained  within 
a  few  weeks),  an  art  building  well  adapted  to  its  purpose,  and  the  com- 
mencement of  a  collection  of  paintings,  including  those  of  Col.  Trumbull, 
besides  models,  casts  illustrative  of  the  history  of  Greek  sculpture,  and 
other  conveniences  to  aid  in  instruction. 

5.  The  University  is  thus  organized ;    and  the  fact  has  been  manifested 
for  years  by  active  work  and  graduating  students  under  most  of  its  recog- 
nized sections.     The  Post-graduate  students  of  the  current  year  are  pursu- 
ing among  them  the  sciences  of  Comparative  Philology,  Sanskrit,  Latin, 
Greek,  Mathematics,  Mechanics,  Civil  Engineering,  General  and  Applied 
Chemistry,  Mineralogy,  Geology,  Paleontology,  Zoology,  and  Botany. 

The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy  (instituted  as  already  stated  in  1860), 
was  first  given  for  Post-graduate  studies  in  1861,  and  then  to  three  grad- 
uates, two  in  philological  studies  and  intellectual  science,  and  one  in 
mathematics.  In  the  two  years  1862  and  1863,  four  received  it,  after 
studies  in  the  same  sections  ;  and  in  1866  four,  two  in  mathematics  and 
physics,  one  in  intellectual  and  moral  philosophy,  and  one  in  chemistry,  etc. 
It  has  since  been  taken  by  five  others.  The  number  of  the  Post-graduate 
students  who  have  graduated  in  the  department  and  taken  its  degree  is  very 
small  compared  with  the  whole  number  that  have  pursued  its  courses  of 
study. 

These  are  some  of  the  fruits  of  the  New  Haven  University ;  and  such 
results  are  proofs  that  the  name  University  is  not  misapplied. 

Yet  it  is  sometimes  said  that  Yale  has  not  made  progress  with  the  age. 
We  believe  that  in  no  institution  in  the  country  is  this  progress  more 
apparent  than  here.  The  scheme  which  has  so  far  been  carried  out  was 
presented  by  the  writer,  speaking  for  others,  in  an  address  before  the 
alumni,  at  Commencement  in  1856 — fifteen  years  ago,  when  the  Scientific 
School  was  struggling  on  under  a  few  unpaid  professors.  Since  then,  the 
Academic  College,  or  Old  Yale,  has  expanded  its  range  of  study  by  intro- 
ducing the  modern  languages,  and  giving  some  scope  to  optionals,  but  not 
by  bringing  the  subjects  of  nature-science  into  its  curriculum  beyond  what 
is  needed  in  these  times  for  a  graduate  of  well  grounded  academic  culture. 
The  Scientific  College,  thanks  to  generous  patrons,  and  to  one  above  all, 
has  grown  into  thorough  efficiency  and  enlarged  its  field  until  it  now 
embraces  a  wide  range  of  literary  as  well  as  scientific  studies.  At  the  same 
time  both  colleges  range  upward  into  the  Post-graduate  schools,  which  are 

393 


THE   NEW   HAVEN   UNIVERSITY 

essentially  the  head  and  front  of  the  Philosophical  department.  Then, 
alongside  of  these,  there  are  the  departments  of  the  Fine  Arts,  Law, 
Medicine,  and  Theology.  Our  action  shows  (and  hence  we  need  not  hesi- 
tate to  say  it)  that  we  regard  this  as  the  best  University  scheme  in  the 
land  ;  that  is,  the  best,  not  for  Germany,  but  for  existing  America.  And 
its  special  advantages  are :  first,  that  while  it  allows  in  its  undergraduate 
colleges  the  widest  range  of  optional  courses,  option  in  the  most  funda- 
mental point  commences  at  the  beginning  of  college  life,  each  student  then 
taking  the  more  literary  course,  that  of  the  Academic  College,  or  the  more 
scientific,  that  of  the  Sheffield  College,  as  he  may  decide,  and  also  having 
liberty  afterward,  not  only  to  select  any  optional  course  in  his  chosen 
college,  but  also  to  change  from  one  college  to  the  other  at  any  time  should 
he  wish,  and  can  meet  the  requirements  ;  and,  secondly ', — a  feature  of  prime 
importance, — that  the  two  colleges  have  distinct  faculties,  each  to  regulate 
independently  the  concerns  of  its  own  students,  its  system  of  studies,  exam- 
inations, appointments,  and  all  matters  of  discipline.  In  our  view,  and  our 
experience  also,  the  system  is  well  adapted  to  secure  ease  of  management, 
efficiency  of  government,  and  thoroughness  of  education. 

Leaving  now  the  subject  of  the  University  as  it  is,  we  pass  to  the 
consideration  of, 

II.  WHAT  THE  UNIVERSITY  REQUIRES 

The  University  requires  for  its  full  and  rapid  development  just  the  right 
man  the  coming  year  in  the  Presidential  chair,  besides  more  ample  means 
of  instruction  in  the  several  departments.  The  following  remarks  are  con- 
fined to  the  last  of  these  points  : 

i.  The  Philosophical  department.  The  deficiencies  in  the  faculty  of  the 
Academic  College  have  been  mentioned  in  another  place  (the  Nation,  for 
May  26th),  and  most  of  these  deficiencies  are  deficiencies  also  in  the  Post- 
graduate department.  The  more  important  of  these  wants,  as  regards  this 
department,  are  a  Professor  of  Political  Science,  this  chair  becoming  vacant 
in  the  resignation  of  President  Woolsey,  unless  he  should  signify  his  will- 
ingness to  continue  these  duties  ;  also  the  institution  of  a  chair  of  Physics 
separate  from  that  of  Mechanics  and  Astronomy,  and  of  German  separate 
from  that  of  French.  To  give  completeness  to  the  system,  there  ought  to 
be  also  a  chair  of  Italian  and  Italian  Literature.  Besides,  additions  might 
well  be  made  to  the  faculty  of  the  Academic  department,  which  would  allow 
its  present  corps  to  give  more  time  to  Post-graduate  instruction. 

The  above  observations  apply  also  to  the  corps  of  instructors  in  the 
Sheffield  or  Scientific  College.  Several  of  the  professorships  would  be 
divided  and  others  added  if  it  were  organized  with  the  completeness 
required  by  the  wants  of  the  country.  The  separation  of  the  chair  of 
Geology  from  that  of  Zoology,  the  chair  of  Metallurgy  from  that  of  Min- 
eralogy, the  chair  of  Mathematics  from  that  of  Engineering,  the  chair 
of  Astronomy  from  that  of  Physics,  the  appointment  of  a  full  professor  of 

399 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 

German,  and  the  establishment  of  chairs  of  Mining  Engineering  and  of 
Spanish  are  the  changes  most  needed. 

This  Scientific  College  depends  largely  for  its  means  of  instruction  on  the 
Museums  of  the  University,  and  the  collections  of  apparatus  and  models. 
The  mineralogical  cabinet  is  excellent,  and  the  zoological  and  paleonto- 
logical  are  rapidly  enlarging  under  the  energetic  professors  of  those  depart- 
ments. But  each  requires,  in  order  to  arrange  and  label  specimens  and 
keep  the  museum  in  proper  condition,  one  or  more  assistants — the  miner- 
alogical, one  ;  the  others,  each  two  or  three.  The  collections  need  special 
extension  in  the  directions  of  human  relics  from  caves  and  the  deposits  of 
the  last  of  the  geological  periods,  and  also  in  the  wider  department  of  Eth- 
nology, especially  American  Ethnology,  and  now  is  the  time  for  gathering, 
since  these  relics  wherever  accessible  are  fast  being  brought  into  the 
museums  of  the  world.  The  Historical  department  is  as  much  interested 
in  such  collections  as  the  Geological. 

2.  The  Theological  department.     This  department  would  be  strengthened 
by  a  Professor  of  Mental  and  Moral  Science  and  Apologetics,  and  by  a 
special  instructor  in  Elocution.     The  circumstance  that  its  students  have 
ready  access  to  many  of  the  lectures  and  all  the  collections  furnished  in  the 
other  departments  renders  the  founding  of  new  chairs  less  imperative.      Of 
the  other  wants  of  this  department  our  plan  forbids  us  now  to  speak.     Its 
new  building,  160  feet  long,  finished  but  six  months  since,  has   already 
proved  too  small,  and  another  is  projected. 

3.  The  Law  and  Medical  departments.     For  complete  university  success 
in  the  schools  of  Law  and  Medicine  the  endowments  for  the  departments 
should  be  so  large  that  the  faculty  would  be  free  to  strike  off  from  the  ordi- 
nary grade  of  such  schools  and  demand  advanced  scholarship  for  admission, 
and  high  special  attainments  for  the  degree   of  graduation ;    and  also 
sufficient  to  enable  each  institution  to  fill  out  its  corps  of  instructors,  and 
the  medical  to  extend  greatly  its  museums.     This  has  been  the  aim  and  de- 
sire of  the  officers  of  the  Medical  school  for  several  years.      Moreover,  for 
the  most  satisfactory  results,  not  merely  New  Haven,  but  the  whole  country 
should  be  made  to  contribute  to  the  corps  of  instructors. 

4.  The  department  of  Fine  Arts.     It  was  the  aim  of  the  founder  of  this 
department,  as  it  is  of  its  existing  professors,  that  it  should  become  a  school 
for  high  esthetic  culture,  as  well  as  for  instruction  in  the  practical  applica- 
tions of  the  Fine  Arts.     To  accomplish  its  purpose,  it  requires,  as  Professor 
Weir  rightly  urges,  an  immediate  addition  to  its  present  corps  of  a  Professor 
of  Architecture,  and  also,  as  soon  as  may  be,  of  a  Professor  of  Sculpture 
and  a  Professor  of  Poetry.      The  department  needs  also  a  special  library  of 
works  in  every  branch  of  the  Fine  Arts  ;    choice  specimens  of   the   best 
engravings  ;  a  considerable  enlargement  of  its  collection  of  models  ;  and  an 
extensive  outfit  of  photographic  illustrations,  especially  photographs  of  the 
cartoons  and  sketches  of  the  old  masters.     To  complete  the  means  of  in- 
struction, there  ought  to  be  here  at  least  a  few  paintings  of  the  highest 

400 


THE   NEW    HAVEN   UNIVERSITY 

excellence,  and  a  historic  gallery  representing  the  progress  of  art  from  its 
early  beginnings.  (The  Jarves  collection  is  only  temporarily  in  the  Art 
Building.) 

The  "  few  paintings  of  the  highest  excellence,"  say  ten,  might  be  ob- 
tained (if  the  friends  of  Yale  will  furnish  the  means)  by  giving  orders  to 
some  of  the  best  painters  of  the  world  for  paintings  of  moderate  size,  to 
cost  each  not  far  from  $10,000  ;  or  else  through  a  fund  entrusted  to  the 
department  for  expenditure  at  its  discretion.  With  ten  such  paintings  for 
young  artists  to  study  and  copy,  the  place  would  be  sure  to  become  a  centre 
of  art. 

The  departments  of  the  University,  but  especially  the  Post-graduate  and 
that  of  the  Fine  Arts,  would  be  greatly  benefited  through  the  endowment  of 
Scholarships.  By  diminishing  the  burden  of  personal  expense,  they  would 
increase  the  number  of  Post-graduate  students,  encourage  high  proficiency, 
and  widen  the  beneficial  influence  of  the  University.  It  is  desirable  that  all 
the  several  courses  pursued  by  advanced  students  should  be  thus  favored, 
Chemistry,  Zoology,  and  Paleontology,  as  well  as  Mathematics,  Linguistics, 
etc.;  so  that  equal  encouragement  may  be  given  to  all  branches  of  know- 
ledge. The  undergraduate  colleges,  the  Academic  and  Scientific,  also  need 
their  scholarship  funds  ;  but  of  these  it  is  not  within  our  present  purpose  to 
speak. 

The  deficiencies  of  the  University  which  have  been  mentioned  above  are 
largely  in  the  Law,  Medical,  and  Art  departments,  the  Law  being  wholly 
without  endowment,  the  Medical  having  very  narrow  means,  and  the  Art 
very  inadequate  funds,  considering  what  is  necessary  for  an  efficient  school 
of  the  Fine  Arts.  The  necessities  of  the  Philosophical  department  in  men 
and  means  are  also  great ;  yet  not  so  great  but  that  the  schools  under  it  are 
doing  systematic  and  thorough  university  work. 

We  close  this  brief  account  of  the  University  by  mentioning  the  relations 
of  the  faculties  to  the  Corporation,  or  Board  of  Trustees,  the  only  superior 
board. 

The  several  departments,  and  also  the  two  colleges  under  the  Philosophi- 
cal department,  besides  being  independent  of  one  another  in  their  faculties, 
students,  classes  under  instruction,  and  government,  are  allowed  each  to 
nominate  to  the  Corporation  its  own  officers  ;  to  recommend  its  own  grad- 
uates to  degrees  on  examination  ;  to  determine  what  instructors  are  needed  ; 
and  to  lay  out  its  own  plans  as  to  the  methods  of  instruction,  the  arrangement 
of  its  buildings,  and  even  the  amount  of  salaries ;  the  Corporation  requir- 
ing only  that  their  views  be  sent  to  the  Board  for  its  consideration  ;  and 
this  is  done  with  the  full  assurance,  encouraged  by  long  experience,  that  all 
will  be  confirmed  unless  there  is  good  reason  for  the  contrary.  Neither  is 
the  President  a  dictator  or  manager.  The  Corporation  approves,  or  disap- 
proves, and  regulates  independently  only  those  matters  that  are  not  within 
the  range  of  the  separate  or  united  faculties,  and  then  at  times  after  solicit- 
ing advice  from  the  faculties.  It  has  never  even  questioned  any  decision  of 

401 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT    DANA 

the  faculties  in  matters  of  discipline,  and  never  appointed  an  instructor  for 
a  faculty  against  its  pleasure  or  judgment. 

This  confidence  in  the  officers  of  the  several  departments  has  had  many 
good  effects.  A  faculty,  in  consequence,  is  a  result  of  natural  growth  from 
the  forces  within  the  body  :  and  therefore  it  is  always  harmonious,  its 
members  acting  well  together  and  working  as  a  unit  for  the  progress  of  the 
department.  They  know  best  the  resources  at  their  command,  the  weak 
points  to  be  met,  and  the  accessions  of  strength  required,  and  can,  with 
rare  exceptions,  best  devise  means  or  plans  for  all  emergencies  ;  such  con- 
fidence is  therefore  reasonable,  and  its  results  good.  Hence  it  is  that  the 
officers  at  Yale  have  so  strong  a  feeling  of  affectionate  allegiance  to  the  in- 
stitution. Seven  professors  of  the  University  have  within  two  years  been 
invited  to  other  positions  in  the  country  where  better  salaries  awaited  them, 
and  not  one  has  gone.  With  such  men,  and  such  feelings,  and  such  a 
Corporation  in  spirit  as  has  always  ruled  at  Yale,  the  University  is  sure  of 
increasing  prosperity.  The  accession  to  the  Corporation  of  some  of  the 
alumni,  which  we  are  glad  to  know  is  now  in  prospect,  cannot  result  in  im- 
proving the  relations  of  the  Board  to  the  various  faculties.  But  it  will,  we 
think,  infuse  new  life  into  the  University,  enlist  a  wider  sympathy  in  its 
behalf,  and  thereby  hasten  on  the  era  of  its  completed  development. 

New  Haven,  June 5,  1871. 


4O2 


IV 

MISS   ELISABETH   E.   DANA  TO   PROF.   E.    S.   DANA 
A  note  on  the  Dana  Pedigree 

152  BRATTLE  ST.,  CAMBRIDGE,  MASS.,  Sept.  14,  1899. 

I  have  been  much  interested  in  my  correspondence  with  Pres.  Gilman 
this  summer  in  regard  to  the  origin  of  our  ancestor  Richard  Dana,  and  am 
hoping  to  hear  from  you  when  you  can  spare  time  from  your  College  duties 
and  other  occupations.  I  understand  that  you  are  strongly  inclined  to- 
wards the  theory  which  your  father  adopted,  that  his  origin  was  Italian,  and 
I  should  be  very  glad  indeed  to  learn  the  arguments  on  that  side. 

I  find  among  our  old  family  papers  a  manuscript  account  of  Richard  the 
emigrant,  written  by  William  Ellery,  the  Signer  of  the  Declaration  from 
Rhode  Island,  who  knew  well  Richard's  grandson,  Judge  Richard  Dana  of 
Boston,  which  contains, the  following  reference  to  Richard's  origin — "  who 
came  from  England  into  Cambridge,  being  a  French  refugee."  This  paper 
is  endorsed  by  Chief-Justice  Francis  Dana  (son  of  Judge  Richard),  who 
married  Ellery's  daughter  Elizabeth.  I  think  this  is  coming  pretty  near  to 
"  the  original  Richard,"  Judge  Richard  having  been  born  in  1700  and  being 
the  own  grandson  and  named  for  him.  I  think  Ellery  would  hardly  have 
written  out  these  particulars  for  Francis  and  the  descendants  if  he  had  not 
got  them  from  Judge  Richard  himself,  and  the  son  Francis  evidently  agreed. 
They  were  all  three  educated  men,  and  Francis  was  Secretary  of  Legation 
to  France,  so  that  he  knew  something  of  that  country.  If  they  had  only 
written  out  more  particulars  ! 

I  have  written  to  an  English  genealogist  to  make  inquiries  about  the 
chances  of  tracing  Richard  Dana  in  England,  and  am  intending  to  make 
investigations  myself  in  this  country,  this  autumn,  about  the  wife,  Anne 
Bullard. 


403 


INDEX 


Agassiz,  Louis,  5,  8,  158,  259,  289, 
297,  298,  300;  letters  from,  184, 
316-325 

Agate,  A.  T.,  57,  76,  78,  88,  90,  96, 

122 

Albany  University,  321 
Alexander,   Prof.  William  D.,  231, 

232,  235 
American   Journal  of  Science,   ch. 

xi.,  192  ff. 

Andes,  Excursions  in  the,  105-110 
Andrews,  Sherlock  J.,  32 
Antarctic  Continent,  Discovery  of, 

77,  79,  116,  117,  121 
Anthon,  Charles,  49 
Apia,  Harbor  of,  75,  87 
Australia,  Impressions  of,  114 

Bacon,  Frederick  A.,  70 

Bacon,  Leonard,  164,  180 

Bagg,  M.  M.,  Letter  from,  15 

Baird,  Spencer  F.,  288 

Bakewell,   Robert,  69,   180;    letter 

to,  99 

Baldwin,  Henry,  235 
Ballard,  Henry  E.,  22,  23 
Bartlett,  Charles,  15 
Beagle,  Voyage  of,  303 
Beechey,  Captain,  45 
Berzelius,  J.  J.,  Letters  from,  342- 

347 

Biddle,  James  S.f  48 
Blake,  William  P.,  166 
Blanchard,  M.,  268 
Bond,  George  P.,  Letter  from,  186 
Bowditch,  Nathaniel,  219 
Bowditch  Island,  Discovery  of,  87, 

126,  133,  218 
Brackenridge,  W.   D.,    57,  62,  88, 

90,  122 

Brewer,  William  H.,  166 
Brinton,  Daniel  G.,  Estimate  of  H. 

Hale,  61 


Brongniart,  162 

Brown,  John  G.,  57 

Brush,  George  J.,  41,  164,  166,  197, 

284 
Bushnell,  Horace,  189 

Callao  (Peru),  107 

Canker  Worms,  359 

Cannibals,  129,  136 

Cephalization,  Dana's  views  on,  250, 
328 

Church,  John  B.,  152 

Clark,  Josiah,  18 

Clark,  William  B.,  166 

Clarke,  Rev.  William  B.,  115 

Clarke  Medal,  278 

"Club,  The,"  164;  Dana's  discus- 
sion of  Bushnell  at,  189 

Coan,  Titus,  238 

Coates,  Dr.,  56 

Coit,  George  D.,  152 

Columbia  River,  86-88,94,  119,  130 

Connecticut  Academy  of  Arts  and 
Sciences,  164,  193 

Cook,  Captain  James,  51,  65,  128 

Copley  Medal,  277 

Corals,  Study  of,  ch.  xiii.  ;  Dar- 
win's views  on,  209  ;  popular 
errors  concerning,  210 ;  Mont- 
gomery's poetry,  212,  213  ;  growth 
of  reefs,  214 ;  parlor  lecture  on, 

222 

Cordilleras,  Excursions  in  the,  71, 

72,  105-110 
Couthouy,  Joseph  P.,  56,  57,  62,  71, 

76,  96,  122,  123,  147  ;    letter  of, 

respecting  New  Zealand,  81 
Creation  and  the  Mosaic  Records, 

182 

Crystals,  Models  of,  43,  44 
Gushing,  Caleb,  49 


Dall,  William  H.,  quoted,  62 


405 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 


Dana  Family,  Pedigree  of,  10-12,  403 

Dana,  Arnold  G.,  152,  332 

Dana,  Edward  S.,  19,  41,  152,  315  ; 
quoted,  200,  201 

Dana,  Elizabeth  E.,  quoted,  12 ; 
letter  from,  403 

Dana,  Frances  (Mrs.  Coit),  152 

Dana,  James  Dwight,  review  of  his 
career,  3-10  ;  birth,  13  ;  parentage 
and  ancestry,  10-13  ;  boyhood, 
14-17  ;  college  life,  17-20  ; 
teacher  of  midshipmen,  21-30  ; 
Mediterranean  voyage,  ch.  iii.  ; 
ascent  of  Vesuvius,  29 ;  perplex- 
ity regarding  a  career,  31,  32, 
141  ;  his  Mineralogy  prepared, 
35-43  J  writes  to  Berzelius,  38-40  ; 
services  on  the  United  States  Ex- 
ploring Expedition,  45-57  ;  ex- 
periences, memories,  and  letters 
on  the  Expedition,  ch.  vii.  ;  the 
Pacific  Ocean  and  its  island  world, 
94-96  ;  collections  on  the  voyage, 
122,  123  ;  Reports  on  Geology, 
Zoophytes,  and  Crustacea,  ch. 
viii.  ;  long  delays  in  their  publi- 
cation, 142-145 ;  residence  in 
Washington,  142 ;  professorship 
in  Yale,  ch.  ix.  ;  overtures  from 
Harvard,  158  ;  inaugural  lecture, 
160  ;  public  lectures,  162  ;  tributes 
from  his  pupils,  166 ;  anecdotes 
of  his  life,  167-176 ;  European 
tour,  177 ;  ill-health  mentioned, 
177  ;  religious  characteristics,  ch. 
x.,  179  ff. ;  critique  of  T.  Lewis, 
179,  183  ;  relations  to  the  Ameri- 
can Journal  of  Science,  ch.  xi., 
192  ff. ;  Manual  of  Geology,  ch.  xii. , 
200  ff. ;  analysis  of  it  by  H.  S.  Wil- 
liams, 202  ;  study  of  corals,  Report 
on  the  Zoophytes,  ch.  xiii.,  208  ff. ; 
relations  to  Darwin,  209,  210, 
250,  255  ;  close  of  life,  ch.  xvi. ; 
death,  267 ;  tributes  to  his  mem- 
ory, 267-273  ;  tributes  while 
living,  273-278  ;  academic  honors, 
276-278  ;  personal  appearance, 
280,  286  ;  habits  of  life,  281-283  ; 
relations  with  students,  284  ;  his 
continuous  ill-health,  287  ;  Bibli- 
ography, 385-394 

Dana,  James  Dwight,  Letters  of  : 
to  E.  C.  Herrick,  8,  54,  56,  57, 

96,  97,  114,  124 
to  B.  Silliman,  36, 116,  367 


to  Berzelius,  38,  40 

to  Robert  Bakewell,  99 

to  members  of  his  family,   25, 

26,  31,  37,  54,  no,  126,  129 
to  Asa  Gray,  103,  118 
to  Edward  S.  Dana,  234,  236, 

242,  263,  264 
to  Captain  Wilkes,  130 
on  the  wreck  of  the  Peacock,  130 
to  J.  W.  Judd,  342,  343 
to  W.  E.  Gladstone,  356 
to  R.  C.  Winthrop,  358 
to  the  New  Haven  Palladium, 

359 

to  S.  F.  Baird,  362 
to  J.  H.  Ward,  364 

Dana,  Mrs.  James  Dwight,  232 ; 
letters  from,  235,  237,  288 

Dana,  James  Dwight,  2d,  262 

Dana,  May,  261,  264 

Dana,  Miss,  232  ;  letter  from,  240 

Dana,  Richard  H.,  Jr.,  n,  55  ; 
letter  from,  186 

Darly,  Chas.  I.  O.,  56 

Darwin,  Charles,  7,  9,  123,  284, 
294,  298,  301,  338,  341;  Dana's 
relations  to,  209,  250,  255  ;  his 
reception  of  Dana's  Geology,  209  ; 
study  of  corals,  216  ;  correspon- 
dence with  Dana,  302-315 

Daubree,  M.,  268 

Davenport,  F.  L.,  57 

Day,  George  E.,  18,  69 

Day,  Jeremiah,  17,  19,  154,  155, 157 

Death  of  Dana,  267 

Degrees,  Academic,  276 

DeKay,  James  E.,  49 

Delafield,  Joseph,  50 

Dickerson,  Mahlon,  50  ;  orders  to 
Exploring  Expedition,  64 

Disappointment,  Cape,  94 

Draper,  John  W.,  327 

Drayton,  Joseph,  56,  57,  66,  70,  96, 
146,  150 

Durant,  Henry,  19 

D'Urville,  Admiral,  79,  116,  117,  149 

Dutton,  S.  W.  S.,  18 

Dwight,  H.  G.  O.,  13 

Dwight,  Seth,  13 

Dwight,  Timothy,  155 

Dwight,  Timothy,  2d,  159,  274 

Dwight,  William  B.,  335 

Dyes,  J.  W.  W.,  57 


Earth,  Development  of,  Dana's  view 
regarding,  253-259 


406 


INDEX 


Eaton,  Amos,  15,  32 
Edgerton,  Fay,  15,  16 
Eights,  Dr.  Jonathan,  56 
Eld,  Henry,  58,  66,  88,  90 
Emerson,  J.  S.,  238-241 

Farrington,  O.  C.,  quoted,   172-176 
Feejee   Islands,    84,    85,    116,   123, 

I3I-I39 
Fisher,  George  P. ,  155,  165  ;  quoted, 

1 88 

Fitch,  Eleazar  T.,  156,  182 
Fitzroy,  Captain,  45,  209 
Forbes,  Rev.  Mr.,  236,  237 
Friendly  Islands,  83 
Froude's  Oceana  quoted,  83 

Gallatin,  Albert,  50 

Geikie,  Sir  Archibald,  8  ;  Dana's 
letters  to,  332  ff. ;  letter  from,  269 

Genesis  and  Geology,  ch.  x. 

Geology ,  Manual  of,  ch.  xii. 

Gibbs,  George,  cabinet  of,  18,  33, 
164 

Gibbs,  Josiah  W.,  50 

Gibbs,  Wolcott,  197 

Gilman,  Edward  W.,  152,  283 

Gladstone,  W.  E.,  188  ;  letter 
from,  356 

Glass,  Francis,  46 

Goodale,  George  L.,  278 

Gould,  Benjamin  A.,  158 

Gray,  Asa,  7,  16,  17,  53,  57,  59,  63, 
143,  158,  167,  181,  197  ;  corre- 
spondence with  Dana,  293-302 

Gregory,  Francis  H.,  51 

Guyot,  Arnold,  5,  8,  181,  187,  188, 
284,  302  ;  correspondence  with 
Dana,  325-332 

Hadley,  James,  156 
Hague,  Arnold,  166 
Hale,  Horatio,  56,  61,  66,  78,  96, 

122 

Haleakala,  Crater  of,  246 
Hall,  James,  330 
Harris,  Thaddeus  W.,  63 
Harvard   University,    Overtures    to 

Dana,  158,  296,  297 
Hawaiian   Islands,    3,    85-87,    124, 

125  ;  visit  to,  in  1887,  ch.  xiv. 
Hawthorne,  Nathaniel,  57 
Heddle,  W.  Forster,  272 
Henry,  Joseph,  54,  295 
Henry,  Wilkes,  Death  of,  85 
Herrick,  Edward  C.,  Sketch  of,  22  ; 

letter  from,  23  ;  declines  an  ap- 


pointment on  the  Wilkes  Expedi- 
tion,  63  ;  mentioned,  8,  33,   41, 

54,  57,  155 

Hitchcock,  C.  H.,  337 
Hobson,    Lieutenant-Governor,  oc- 
cupies New  Zealand,  81 
Holmes,  Silas,  18,  58,  66 
Honolulu,  see  Hawaiian  Islands 
Hooker,  Sir  Joseph,  277,  298, 304 
Hubbard,  Oliver  P.,  32,  38,  152 
Hudson,  William  L.,  52,  64,  86,  87, 

121,  130,  131,  218,  219 
Hull's  Island,  85 

Humboldt,  Alexander  von,  259,  355 
Hunt,  E.  K.,  18 

Hunt,  T.  Sterry,  333,  335,  336,  340 
Huntington,     Daniel,    Portrait     of 
Dana,  280 

Ice-sheet,  Continental,  Dana's  views 
regarding,  259 

Johnson,  E.  A.,  18 
Johnson,  Samuel  W.,  197 
Jones,  Ap-Catesby,  49,  50 
Jowett,  Dr.  Benjamin,  citation  from, 

9 

Judd,  Chief-Justice,  244 
Judd,  Prof.  J.  W.,  8,  341  ;    letter 

from,  270  ;  letters  to,  342,  343 

Kearney,  Lawrence,  51 

King,  Clarence,  166 

Kingsley,  James   L.,    17,    46,   154, 

157 

Kingsmill  Islands,  87,  129 
Krusenstern,  Admiral,  45,  50 

Le    Conte,    Joseph,    268 ;    address 
commemorative  of  Dana,  ch.  xv. 
Leidy,  Joseph,  306 
Lesley,  J.  P.,  265 
Lesquereux,  Leo,  330 
Leverett,  Frank,  266 
Lewis,  Tayler,  179,  183,  186,  187, 

331 

Lima  (Peru),  no 
Lima,  J.  Francesco,  33 
Linton,  Edward,  quoted,  168-172 
Long,  Andrew  K.,  53,  97,  103 
Loti,  Pierre,  55 
Ludlow,  Henry  G.,  164 
Lyell,  Charles,  Letter  from,  354 


Mahon,  Port,  described,  26-28 
Maitland  (Australia),  114 


407 


LIFE   OF   JAMES   DWIGHT   DANA 


Manila,  89 

Mantell,  Dr.,  162 

Marquesas  Islands,  86 

Marsh,  James,  187 

Marsh,  Othniel  C.,  166,  177,  197, 
284,  287,  290,  334 

Mason,  Ebenezer  Porter,  155 

Mauna  Kea,  86 

Mauna  Loa,  86,  124 

McClure,  William,  34 

McKenzie,  Alexander,  181,  188 

McLeay,  Alexander,  115 

McLeay,  William  S.,  115 

Medical  Staff  of  the  Exploring  Ex- 
pedition, 58 

Mediterranean  Cruise,  Dana's,  24- 
30 

Melville,  Herman,  56 

Merritt,  William  C.,  232,  235,  243 

Meteoric  Showers,  54,  125 

Milne-Edwards,   H.,   Letters  from, 

348-353 
Missionaries,    Impressions   of   their 

Work,  104,    105,   ill,    113,    121, 

128 

Mitchell,  Donald  G.,  156,  272 
Montgomery,  James,  criticised,  212, 

213,  227 

Morse,  S.  F.  B.,  Letter  from,  355 
Munger,  T.  T.,  267 
Murchison,  Sir  R.,  330 
Murray,  Rev.  Mr.,  Missionary,  112, 

128 

National  Academy  of  Sciences,  165, 

329,  362 

Naturalists,  Celebrated,  Ages  of,  279 
Navigators'  Islands,  see.  Samoa 
Negroes  in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Charac- 
teristics of,  67 
Newcomb,     Simon,     and     others, 

Letters  from,  275 
New  Haven,  in  1850,  153  ;  studies 

of  the  surrounding  region,  165 
New   Haven   University,    Dana  on 

the,  395-402 

Newton,  Hubert  A.,  155,  197 
New  Zealand,  Observations  in,  80- 

83,  114,   116;  acquisition  of,  by 

Great  Britain,  81 
Noir  Island,  near  Cape  Horn  (danger 

to  the  Relief},  69,  70,  94,  99,  103 
Norton's    Literary  Gazette  quoted, 

211 

Nott  and  Gliddon's  Types  of  Man- 

1    •  T  ^*  * 

kind,  324 


Noyes,  Burr,  32 

Olmsted,  Denison,  33,  155,  157 
Owen,  Professor,  314 

Pacific  Ocean,  subsidence  of,  221  ; 

cruise  of    the  Wilkes    Squadron, 

see  United  States  Exploring  Ex- 

pedition 

Pago-Pago,  56,  75,  77 
Palmer,  Captain  N.  B.,  48 
Palmer,  Dr.  J.  C.,  283  ;  his  poem 

Thu'da,  377 
Park,  Edwards  A.,  185 
Patagonians,  Glimpses  of  the,  103 
Paulding,  James  K.,  50,  64  ;  letters 

to,  80,  8  1 
Paumotus,  72,  209 
Peabody  Museum,  164,  334 
Peacock,  Wreck  of  the,  88,  94,  116, 

130  ;  bad  condition  of,  67 
Peale,  Titian  R.,  56,  57,  70,  79,  88, 

96,   122 

Pearce,  James  A.,  49 

Percival,    James    G.,   Estimate   of 

his  Geology  of  Connecticut,  158, 

364  ;  Coral  Grove  quoted,  220,  225 
Philippine  Islands,  89,  90 
Pickering,  Charles,   50,  56-58,   70, 

90,  96,  109,  121  ;  Gray's  estimate 

of,  59 

Pickering,  John,  50 
Pierce,  Benjamin,  Letter  from,  186 
Poinsett,  Joel  R.,  50,  62 
Pomare,  Chief,  82 
Preston,  E.  D.,  247 
Prestwich,  Sir  Joseph,  Letter  from, 

269 
Publication,  Difficulties  of,  144  ff., 


Randall,  John  Witt,  56 
Reid,  James  W.  E.,  70 
Reynolds,  John  N.,  Advocate  of  the 

U.  S.  Exploring  Expedition  under 

Wilkes,  45-49,  53 
Rich,  William,  57,  88,  90,  96,  109, 

122 

Ridgeley,  C.  G.,  52 
Ringgold,  Cadwallader,  53,  86 
Robinson,  Sir  Hercules,  85 
Roscoe,  Sir  Henry,  264 
Ross,  Captain,  79,  80  (note) 
Russell,  William  H.,  18 


Salisbury,  Edward  E.,  156,  158 


408 


INDEX 


Samoa,  74,  75,  86,  87,  111-113,  128 
Sandwich    Islands,     see     Hawaiian 

Islands 

San  Francisco  (Cal.)  in  1841,  89 
Santiago  (Chili),  107 
Saussure,  H.  de,  Letter  from,  353 
Sheffield  Scientific  School,  38  (note), 

163,  164 

Shepard,  Charles  U.,  32,  33,  37,  43 
Silliman,  Benjamin,   17,  20,  32,  33, 

38,  43,  149,  55,  156,  159-162,  193, 
.363 
Silliman,  Benjamin,  Jr.,   152,    159, 

196,  308,  326 
Silliman,  Benjamin   D.,   32  ;    letter 

from,  271 

Smith,  Sidney  I.,  166 
Society  Islands,  74  ;  letter  from,  no 
Sooloo,  Sultan  of,  Treaty  with,  90 
Southard,  Samuel  L.,  47 
Stanley,  Anthony  D.,  155 
Stevenson,  Robert  Louis,   55,  75,  77 

and  note 

Stewart,  Charles  S.,  26 
Stoddard,  Charles  W.,  55 
Stuart,  Moses,  182 
Sydney  (Australia),     78,    114,    115, 

122 

Taconic    Question,    260,     335-337, 

339 

Taft,  Alphonso,  18 
Tahiti,  73,  no,  in 
Tappan,  Benjamin,  144-146,  148 
Thacher,  Thomas  A.,  156,  289 
Thiers,  A.,  357 
Tonga  Islands,  83,  84,  116 
Twain,  Mark,  quoted,  77 
Twining,  Alexander  C.,  155,  164 

Underwood,  Lieutenant,  85 
United  States  Exploring  Expedition, 

1838-42,  chaps,  v.-viii. 
Utica    (N.  Y.),    Dana's  Birthplace, 

13,  14,  40,  43,  141,  161,  162,  163; 

high  school  at,  15 

Valparaiso  (Chili),  107,  109 


Van  Buren,  Martin,  50 
Verrill,  Addison  E.,  166,  197,  284 
Vesuvius,  Ascent  of,  367 
Volcanism,  251 
Volcanoes,  Hawaiian,  243 
Volcanoes,  Volume  on,  ch.  xiv. 

Walcott,  Charles  D.,  167,  260,  265, 
269  ;  quoted,  167 

Walker  Prize,  278 

Wallace,  Alfred  R.,  331,  332 

Whelpley,  James  D.,  29,  33,  69 

White,  Henry,  164,  1 80 

Whitney,  J.  D.,  329 

Whitney,  William  D.,  155,  159, 
163-165 

Wilkes,  Charles,  Commander  of  the 
U.  S.  Exploring  Expedition,  45, 
5i,  52,  57,  63,  64,  65,  66-91 
(frequently) ;  letter  to,  from  Dana, 
130 

Wilkes   Land,    Discovery  of,    116, 

JI7 

Williams,  George  H.,  166,  167 
Williams,  Henry  S.,  166,  197,  263, 

268,  340  ;  quoted,  202,  253 
Williams,   Rev.   John,   Missionary, 

76,  nt,  113,  114 
Williams,  S.  Wells,  17,    143,    274, 

275 
Winthrop,   Robert   C.,  277;   letter 

from,  357 

Wollaston  Medal,  277 
Woodward,    Henry,    Letters    from, 

271,  278 
Woolsey,  Theodore  D.,    154,    157, 

164 

Yale  College  and  University,  Dana's 
Connection  with,  17-20  and  ch. 
ix.  ;  Silliman  professorship  at,  6  ; 
Institute  of  Natural  Science  at,  33, 
54  ;  Berzelius  Society,  38  ;  cabi- 
net of  minerals,  18,  33  ;  Peabody 
Museum,  1 8,  208  ;  Dana's  descrip- 
tion of  the  college  in  1871,  395-402 

Zoophytes,  Report  on,  144-151 


409 


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